Hair loss
From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history
Hair loss is a symptom that occurs occasionally in ME/CFS.[1] [2] It can also be a symptom of comorbid illnesses such as hypothyroidism, systemic lupus erythematosus and is sometimes found in Long COVID patients.[3] Hair loss can refer to either a hair loss condition such as alopecia areata, where patches of scalp lose all or virtually all hair, or as telogen effluvium, which is a general thinning of hair across the head where hair loss is typically less than 50% of hair.[4][3][5]
Prevalence[edit | edit source]
The Canadian Consensus Criteria recognizes hair loss as a neuroendocrine system symptom in ME/CFS.[2]
Katrina Berne reports a prevalence of 20-35% for hair loss.[6]
Potential causes[edit | edit source]
- Endocrine changes
- Medication side effecta (e.g. DHEA, Ampligen, Elmiron)
- Lysine deficiency
- Excessive Vitamin A intake
- Excessive selenium intake
- Increase in stress hormones[1]
- Any serious illness can cause telogen effluvium, including COVID-19 and ME/CFS[5][2][3]
Potential treatments[edit | edit source]
- Treatment of comorbid illnesses such as hypothyroidism or systemic lupus erythematosus[5]
- Avoidance of harsh hair products
- B vitamins
- Coenzyme Q10
- Ginkgo biloba
- Inositol[1][7]
Learn more[edit | edit source]
- Alopecia areata - symptoms
- Hair loss - NHS
- Hair loss symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
- Understanding Hair Loss: Basics - WebMD
- What causes Telogen Effluvium - WebMD
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Verrillo, Erica (September 14, 2012). Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide (Kindle eBook) (2nd ed.).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Carruthers, Bruce M.; Jain, Anil Kumar; De Meirleir, Kenny L.; Peterson, Daniel L.; Klimas, Nancy G.; Lerner, A. Martin; Bested, Alison C.; Flor-Henry, Pierre; Joshi, Pradip; Powles, AC Peter; Sherkey, Jeffrey A.; van de Sande, Marjorie I. (2003), "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Clinical Working Case Definition, Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols" (PDF), Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 11 (2): 7–115, doi:10.1300/J092v11n01_02
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Hussain, Nabeel; Agarwala, Preeti; Iqbal, Kinza; Omar, Hanaa Mohamed Sheikh; Jangid, Gurusha; Patel, Vraj; Rathore, Sawai Singh; Kumari, Chandani; Velasquez-Botero, Felipe; López, Guadalupe Abigail Benítez; Vishwakarma, Yogesh (2022). "A systematic review of acute telogen effluvium, a harrowing post-COVID-19 manifestation". Journal of Medical Virology. 94 (4): 1391–1401. doi:10.1002/jmv.27534. ISSN 1096-9071.
- ↑ Mieczkowska, Karolina; Deutsch, Alana; Borok, Jenna; Guzman, Anthony K.; Fruchter, Renee; Patel, Parth; Wind, Olivia; McLellan, Beth N.; Mann, Ranon E.; Halverstam, Caroline P. (November 23, 2020). "Telogen effluvium: a sequela of COVID‐19". International Journal of Dermatology: 10.1111/ijd.15313. doi:10.1111/ijd.15313. ISSN 0011-9059. PMC 7753411. PMID 33226117.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "What Causes Telogen Effluvium?". WebMD. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ↑ Berne, Katrina (December 1, 1995), Running on Empty: The Complete Guide to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFIDS) (2nd ed.), Hunter House, p. 58, ISBN 978-0897931915
- ↑ "Hair loss". National Health Service. October 23, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
