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Original poster

Long Covid and hair loss

18 replies

Dogatetheleftovers · 12/04/2021 21:33

I had Covid in January and was in hospital twice. Still felt really unwell for about 6 weeks. Now I’m having good weeks and bad ones. Have painful glands, bad headaches, incessant sneezing as though I’m getting a cold and then it all settles down for a week. But I’m having serious hair loss which started about 8 weeks after first getting ill with Covid. It’s just falling out in clumps and I wonder if anyone has had this? Or what I can do to stop it?

OP posts:
JellyBabiesSaveLives · 12/04/2021 21:38

How are your iron levels? Hair loss is a symptom of anaemia.

My adult dd had covid and got very anaemic - we've no way of knowing if the two are connected though.

Original poster
Dogatetheleftovers · 12/04/2021 22:27

I don’t know what they’re like. I’ve got no symptoms of anaemia although I’m not sure what they would be 🙄

OP posts:
Nurse1980 · 12/04/2021 23:08

I’m going through the same, spoke to the GP and having a blood test this week.

Original poster
Dogatetheleftovers · 12/04/2021 23:13

I hope you get some answers Nurse1980.Does your GP think it may be Covid related?

OP posts:
MRex · 12/04/2021 23:15

As well as iron ask the GP for a thyroid test too, underactive thyroid can make hair fall out. B12 and oestrogen imbalance too. Might as well get it all checked at once if you can.

I hope you find the cause quickly and that it can be resolved easily. (@Nurse1980 - same for you.)

Pupster21 · 12/04/2021 23:16

It’s quite common with long Covid. There’s a few people I follow on Instagram who cite this amongst their symptoms. Definitely worth a blood test. Mine seems to be horrendous one week then ok the next, I only managed to wash it once a week for 5 months but it now only needs it once a week.

aSofaNearYou · 12/04/2021 23:19

My mum had this. It did naturally come back after a while.

Original poster
Dogatetheleftovers · 12/04/2021 23:21

My hair has got so thin. It literally is falling out in clumps. I’ve been wondering if it is long Covid but wasn’t sure as my other symptoms ebb and flow whereas the hair loss is constant. I’ll try to speak to the GP (wish me luck on that front!) and ask for some blood tests perhaps. I’m having a chest x ray this week to assess if there’s been long term damage to my lungs following the Covid and double pneumonia.

OP posts:
ArcheryAnnie · 12/04/2021 23:46

I have been ill in various ways, and at varying intensities, for just over a year, now, and my hair is horribly, horribly thin. I used to have quite nice hair, but it's just grim now.

I do have hopes of it coming back, as others have, but it's not there yet.

Moomimtroll · 13/04/2021 03:10

This appears to be common amongst people who have long Covid. Some weeks my hair falls out in clumps and other weeks less so. Two other friends are also suffering from this and we all had Covid around the same time. It is so upsetting. I wash my hair maximum twice and week and take collagen tablets. Any other recommendations would be really welcome!

SexyGiraffe · 13/04/2021 06:10

Yes, a friend's sister with long covid also had this. It has recovered, a year on. Sorry you are going through this, OP. Getting checked for anaemia seems a good idea. Other symptoms include fatigue, chest pain, weakness (I had anaemia last year).

Jellifer · 13/04/2021 14:42

I had this 3 months after covid (thankfully I didn’t have long Covid). It’s known as Telogen Effluvium and can happen after a fever, stress or illness. It was very scary at the time and I lost about 1/3 of the thickness of my ponytail. 6 months later it’s a lot better so hang in there!

roguetomato · 13/04/2021 15:06

I have seen it on news from my native country few months ago. I can't remember exactly but I think they said about 7 % of people experienced hair loss after covid.

curious100 · 29/04/2021 11:58

Sp, it is now a well known fact that covid can lead to telegon effluvium. Recently published in The Times.

Lasts about 8 to 12 weeks, can be severe. And regrowth happens thereafter. There is a Facebook group (there are msny) but please join telegon effluvium - evidence based. This is the only factual group.

It's an incredibly difficult 10 weeks.

curious100 · 29/04/2021 11:59

Hope this helps.

curious100 · 29/04/2021 12:02

Jennifer, please can you shed some light on your hair texture? I have lost 80,% the dermo reckons. She suggested minoxidil which I later found was absolutely not necessary.
My hair has become curvier and knotty and brittle. Slowly improving, but is there anything you use or recommend to help over next few months? Thank you

Original poster
Dogatetheleftovers · 29/04/2021 21:08

My hair is so thin now, it’s falling out in clumps. It used to be so thick and now it’s just wisps. My GP wants me to have blood tests but this only started about 12 weeks post Covid.

OP posts:
user1471453601 · 29/04/2021 21:16

@Dogatetheleftovers, not had covid myself, but I use the Zoe app to report my health. They list hair loss as Staunton of covid. It's a reliable source and has identified a lot more symptoms than cough and temp.

So I would say that it is a result of covid.

I hope you feel well soon

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