Alopecia areata is a possible risk of COVID-19 vax, dermatologists report
Dermatologists have treated two women with alopecia areata, adding to growing reports of hair loss following vaccination
Dermatologists have flagged alopecia areata as a possible COVID-19 vaccine adverse effect after treating two young women who suffered total hair loss soon after being immunised.
In one case, a 23-year-old patient presented with local hair loss, one week after receiving her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, say Dr Azam Mosavi, from the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran, and colleagues.
A potassium hydroxide test was negative for fungal infection, and she had no past medical or family history of alopecia areata.
But a positive pull test demonstrated oval-shaped patchy hair loss with defined borders and no scarring or scaling, the doctors wrote in Clinical Case Reports.
