Long COVID Sequelae 'Hair Loss' Spreading... Early Management Is Important

Taking Amino Acids and Vitamins Without Stress

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] One of the representative symptoms of the ‘Long COVID syndrome,’ where patients continue to suffer from aftereffects even after completing self-quarantine following a COVID-19 positive diagnosis, is hair loss. Since full recovery takes time and prolonged symptoms can interfere with daily life and cause severe stress, early hair care is important.

According to the medical and pharmaceutical industries on the 20th, hair loss continues to be reported as one of the aftereffects of COVID-19 both domestically and internationally. A study by the National Medical Center observing 47 recovered patients found that 87% reported aftereffects, with 38.3% experiencing hair loss. A joint research paper by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, National Medical Center, and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital also identified hair loss as a representative symptom of COVID-19 aftereffects.

Hair loss is also recognized as a common COVID-19 aftereffect abroad. The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) added hair loss to the list of common symptoms in its Long COVID guidelines published last March. An analysis of 41 papers related to Long COVID and hair loss, investigating data from 1,826 COVID-19 patients with hair loss, confirmed that COVID-19 is associated with alopecia areata and telogen effluvium.

Although the exact cause has not yet been identified, the medical community views hair loss caused by COVID-19 aftereffects as ‘telogen effluvium,’ where hair in the growth phase rapidly shifts to the resting phase. Typically, hair loss can be observed 2 to 3 months after fever or illness, and fever is one of the common symptoms of COVID-19. This causes more hair follicles than usual to enter the telogen phase during the hair growth cycle.

Telogen effluvium may be a temporary condition. However, since it takes 3 to 6 months for hair to transition from the telogen phase back to the growth phase, hair care during this period is crucial. A representative from Dongkook Pharmaceutical said, “Not only avoiding stress, which is a major cause of hair loss, but also taking medicinal yeast supplements that directly provide nutrients to the hair can help prevent hair loss. Combining amino acids, vitamins, and L-cystine, which can replenish keratin?the main component of hair?allows for early management of hair loss symptoms.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.