{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T13:37:20Z","timestamp":1785418640661,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778457600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005888","name":"Medical University of Lodz","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["500\/1-064-01\/503-11-001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["500\/1-064-01\/503-11-001"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005888","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["500\/1-064-01\/503-11-001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["500\/1-064-01\/503-11-001"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02t4ekc95","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by diverse patterns of non-scarring hair loss. Due to its susceptibility to immune dysregulation and psychological stress, there is growing speculation regarding the potential role of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the COVID-19 pandemic in its development, recurrence, or exacerbation. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate patients affected by AA from a single dermatological center, specifically focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalization rates. Methods: Data comprising demographic characteristics, disease subtype, number, and duration of hospitalizations were digitized and statistically analyzed. The five-year period prior to the pandemic (2015\u20132019) was compared with the subsequent four years (2020\u20132023) to assess any changes. Results: The study involved 428 individuals (256 children and 172 adults), with a slight predominance of women (68.2%). The median ages in adults and children were 39.13 years and 8.66 years, respectively. Following the pandemic, there was a 13.81% decrease in the mean age among adult males. Hospitalizations surged by 207.62% after the pandemic, increasing from 223 to 686 admissions. Additionally, the diagnosis of alopecia areata totalis increased significantly by 55.6%. The residential distribution of pediatric patients also shifted notably, with 72.16% residing in urban areas and 27.84% in rural areas between 2020 and 2023. Conclusions: The significant increase in hospitalization rates and the diversity of disease subtypes observed in this study may suggest a potential correlation between COVID-19 and the development or altered course of alopecia areata. A deeper understanding of this association could enhance treatment outcomes in dermatology, ultimately improving patient care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15103682","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T17:17:42Z","timestamp":1778519862000},"page":"3682","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Retrospective Evaluation of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Incidence of Alopecia Areata in a Single Dermatological Department"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-9095-4880","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u0141ukasz","family":"Ch\u0119tko","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Student Scientific Research Club of Experimental, Clinical and Procedural Dermatology, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-6737-6055","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Julia","family":"Hofmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Student Scientific Research Club of Experimental, Clinical and Procedural Dermatology, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Karolina","family":"Brzychcy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Student Scientific Research Club of Experimental, Clinical and Procedural Dermatology, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"Matych","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology and Dermatological Oncology, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"},{"name":"Laboratory of Autoinflammatory, Genetic and Rare Skin Disorders, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dorota","family":"Sobolewska-Sztychny","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology and Dermatological Oncology, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"},{"name":"Laboratory of Autoinflammatory, Genetic and Rare Skin Disorders, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marcin","family":"Noweta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology and Dermatological Oncology, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bartosz","family":"Zakrzewski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zakrzewscy Clinic of Aesthetic Medicine and Dermatology, ul. Porcelanowa 23b, 40-246 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ma\u0142gorzata","family":"Dominiak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology and Dermatological Oncology, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joanna","family":"Narbutt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology and Dermatological Oncology, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aleksandra","family":"Lesiak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology and Dermatological Oncology, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"},{"name":"Laboratory of Autoinflammatory, Genetic and Rare Skin Disorders, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"403","DOI":"10.1007\/s12016-021-08883-0","article-title":"Alopecia areata: An update on etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, and management","volume":"61","author":"Zhou","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin. 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