Alopecia areata after ChAdOx1 nCoV‐19 vaccine (Oxford/AstraZeneca): a potential triggering factor?

• Published in: Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 2021-12, Vol.20 (12), p.3727-3729
• Main Authors: Essam, Reham, Ehab, Rana, Al‐Razzaz, Radwa, Khater, Maha W., Moustafa, Emad A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alopecia Areata - chemically induced; Alopecia Areata - drug therapy; ChAdOx1 nCoV‐19 vaccine; Covid; COVID-19; hair falling; Humans; Letters to the Editor; SARS-CoV-2
• ISSN: 1473-2130; 1473-2165
• DOI: 10.1111/jocd.14459

Dear Editor, Many dermatologists have been occupied with recording cutaneous associations with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and there are some reports about cutaneous side effects of its vaccines.1 Only a few reports described a possible association between AA and COVID-19.2 Here, we report a case of recurrent alopecia areata (AA), in a middle-aged female patient, shortly after the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (Oxford/AstraZeneca), after a long period of disease stability. 1 CASE PRESENTATION In June 2021, a 32-year-old female patient attended our outpatient clinic with a complaint of a hairless patch involving the scalp that suddenly appeared 2 days ago. According to the history, the patient was vaccinated against SARS-CoV2 few days before the appearance of the lesion, and the patient did not complain of any associated systemic symptoms. The objective is to generate the synthesis of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein by the host cells, which will lead to activation of immune cells.4 The existence of molecular mimicry between the vaccine-induced proteins of SARS-CoV-2 and human components might give rise to potential side effects by production of pathological autoantibodies.