I was diagnosed 3 months with Rickettsial disease.  I am slowly regaining my energy, but now my hair is coming out in sufficient quantities to cause concern.  I spent 10 days in intermediate ICU and was not aware of my surroundings for 4 or 5 days.  I am 69 yrs of age.  Would the hair loss be a result of my disease?
Hello. Thank you for writing to us. The reason for precipitous hair fall after a major illness/ stressful event is known as halogen effluvium. The hair loss that you now experience post-rickettsial illness is actually quite expected. Telogen effluvium usually starts 1-3 months after a stressful event. This stressful event can be a medical illness like e.g. dengue, malaria, jaundice etc. Or rickets disease as in your case. Telogen effluvium is due to sudden shift in hair growth cycle from Ana gen, which is the growth phase to Halogen, which is the resting phase. Once hair enters halogen in response to a stressful event, it is subsequently going to be shed over the next 1 -3 months. This phenomena of sudden increase in shedding is known as halogen effluvium. Recovery is spontaneous as the resting hair follicle re-enters managed Or growth phase and this may take another 3-6 months. There is no specific treatment for halogen effluvium except for counselling about the natural history and spontaneous recovery in 3-6 months. It is advisable to take a good healthy nutritious diet rich in proteins and other nutrients during the recovery phase. Regards