Late Unexpected Consequences of COVID-19 Infection in Survivors of Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure

A prospective single-centre study conducted from May to July 2020 involving 38 COVID-19 survivors of severe hypoxic respiratory failure found that 71% of these patients developed telogen effluvium (TE) alopecia within 3 months after discharge. TE is a scalp disorder characterized by excessive shedding and thinning of hair, often related to drugs, trauma, and emotional and physiological stress. The study suggests that the onset of TE in these patients could be attributed to several factors: severe prolonged hypoxia, increased androgen receptor related pathway, drugs used during admission, stress, and autoimmune disease. The severe hypoxia experienced by these patients could have led to a lower or insufficient blood supply to the scalp tissues, contributing to TE alopecia. Further studies are needed to better understand these hypothesized mechanisms or potential correlations among them.