Italian Survey for the Evaluation of the Effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Alopecia Areata Recurrence

The study surveyed 475 Italian patients with a history of alopecia areata (AA) to assess the impact of COVID-19 on AA relapse. It found that 42.5% of those who contracted COVID-19 experienced a relapse, typically 2 months post-infection, with 74% still having symptoms at the survey time. In contrast, only 12.5% of those without COVID-19 reported a relapse. The study suggested that COVID-19-related inflammation and psychological stress from quarantine contributed to increased AA relapse, indicating a potential rise in AA cases as the pandemic spread. The research emphasized the psychosocial effects of the pandemic on AA recurrence.