COVID-19-related illness and stress caused a real, measurable worldwide rise in diffuse hair shedding, not just anecdotally -- useful context for anyone who noticed heavier shedding roughly 2-4 months after a COVID infection or other major illness/stress, since this pattern typically resolves on its own within 6-12 months.
What they did
Systematically reviewed 90 global studies (searched through March 2024) reporting telogen effluvium rates, then statistically modeled worldwide and regional prevalence before versus after the pandemic began, using a Bayesian hierarchical model.
What they found
Global telogen effluvium prevalence rose from an estimated 3.44% before the pandemic to 5.41% after it -- roughly a 1.6-fold increase. Regional rates ranged from 2.83% (high-income North America) to 11.11% (East Asia); the lowest country-level estimate was the US (2.08%) and the highest was China (13.33%). Women were affected far more often than men.
Limitations
Most included studies were based on outpatient dermatology clinic visits, which may not reflect the general population (many people with shedding never see a doctor); the review could not reliably separate 'acute' (temporary) from 'chronic' telogen effluvium cases; no dengue-specific telogen effluvium data were identified in this review or elsewhere during this research.
Who paid for it
Korea Medical Institute research program; National Research Foundation of Korea grant RS-2023-00249120 (academic, non-industry)
Read the original
Global epidemiology of telogen effluvium after the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and modeling study ↗ · Jeon JJ, Kim YH, Kang H, Ha MC, Jung SW, Son H, Kim MH, Lee WS, Lee S · DOI 10.1016/j.jdin.2024.08.018
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