Relationship Between Anemia and Telogen Effluvium in Post-COVID-19 Survivors

Abstract

Introduction: There are insufficient studies in the literature on the relationship between the acute severity of disease and the occurrence of anemia and telogen effluvium (TE) in the post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) period.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between anemia and TE in individuals who had experienced COVID-19 during the post-COVID period.

Method: The study has a retrospective cross-sectional design and was conducted on patients presenting to a tertiary care hospital for COVID-19 follow-up. Patient data, including demographic parameters, data regarding smoking history, comorbidities, symptoms, and laboratory panel at presentation, were evaluated.

Results: Out of 672 patients, 249 had TE complaints. TE was more common in females, those under the average age of this patient group, and those with a body mass index of under 25. Anemia was identified in 80 patients. Among individuals with anemia, TE was observed in 47.3%, whereas among those without anemia, the occurrence of TE was noted at a rate of 35.5%. When the severity of infection in the acute phase was examined in relation to the presence of TE in the post-COVID period, TE was observed in 45.1% of those receiving outpatient treatment, 37.0% of those hospitalized, and 30.7% of those in intensive care.

Conclusion: The results obtained in this study group indicate that TE complaints after COVID-19 are more common in those with anemia, but the fact that they did not correlate with the acute disease's severity requires consideration of other causes besides the virus effect.