Systematic review: Impact of stem cells-based therapy, and platelet-rich plasma in hair loss and telogen effluvium related to COVID-19

BACKGROUND: The incidence of hair loss (HL) and telogen effluvium (TE) in COVID-19 patients has been reported in several studies. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate both the increased incidence of HL and TE in COVID-19 and the effectiveness of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), Adipose-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (AD-MSCs), and Human Follicle Stem Cells (HFSCs) in these patients. METHODS: The protocol was developed by the Preferred Reporting for Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. A multistep search of PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Clinicaltrials. gov, Scopus, and Cochrane databases has been performed to identify papers focusing on HL and TE COVID-19 related, and papers focusing on AD-MSCs, HFSC, and PRP use. RESULTS: Of the 404 articles initially identified focusing on HL and TE, 44 were related to COVID-19, and finally, only 6 were analyzed. On the other way, 331 articles focusing on AD-MSCs, HFSC, and PRP were initially identified. Of these, only 6 articles PRP (n = 3), AD-MSCs, and HFSCs (n = 3) have been analyzed. CONCLUSION: Collected data confirmed both an increased incidence of HL and TE in COVID-19 patients, preliminarily, the related effectiveness of AD-MSCs, HFSCs, and PRP without major side effects.