Total Hair Loss After The Flu Shot About 4 Years Ago

[LadyPreachrt7]

Thank you for sharing your experiences the CDC told my doctor that I was the only person who reported hair loss after receiving the flu shot. I had a high fever for three days after receiving the shot on the third night my hair came out by handfulls in the shower, two days later I lost all the hair on my body. I was in my 50's at that time it has been a few years since this happened.
Does anyone know if there was a problem with the immunization itself?
Doctor's believe it overloaded my immune system.

 

[Bigwave]

Hello:

I am a physician and developed alopecia universalis beginning about 4 months after receiving my Zostavax (shingles) vaccination. Recently there was an article published reporting similar findings. I don't think it has a direct correlation to the flu vaccination but your assumption that it somehow triggered a response in the immune system is probably correct.

Bigwave

 

[hairblues]

Hello:

I am a physician and developed alopecia universalis beginning about 4 months after receiving my Zostavax (shingles) vaccination. Recently there was an article published reporting similar findings. I don't think it has a direct correlation to the flu vaccination but your assumption that it somehow triggered a response in the immune system is probably correct.

Bigwave

wow sorry this happened
Did you ever have alopecia areata before? like small patches?

 

[LadyPreachrt7]

Hello:

I am a physician and developed alopecia universalis beginning about 4 months after receiving my Zostavax (shingles) vaccination. Recently there was an article published reporting similar findings. I don't think it has a direct correlation to the flu vaccination but your assumption that it somehow triggered a response in the immune system is probably correct.

Bigwave

Thank you for your reply and for the information. I was thinking about getting the Zostavax, but have changed my mind given what happened to you. I have also started a biologic hoping to stop my immune system from further attacking my body. I will seek out the article.

 

[LadyPreachrt7]

wow sorry this happened
Did you ever have alopecia areata before? like small patches?

I had one small area that would thin out occasionally prior to this.

 

[Angie Brew]

Thank you for sharing your experiences the CDC told my doctor that I was the only person who reported hair loss after receiving the flu shot. I had a high fever for three days after receiving the shot on the third night my hair came out by handfulls in the shower, two days later I lost all the hair on my body. I was in my 50's at that time it has been a few years since this happened.
Does anyone know if there was a problem with the immunization itself?
Doctor's believe it overloaded my immune system.

Hi. Thanks for sharing this. Very interesting, as ALL my hair has fallen out over 6 months. My doctors veer towards the 'stress' diagnosis, obviously a catch all that can include overloaded immune system. If people ask me I say I don't know why but if I HAD to bet on it I would say my yellow fever vaccination - my hair began to fall out last April, just after the shot. Glad I found this forum, I am just settling into my new state, and accepting my new bald state. No eyelashes bothers me the most, and people staring at me. But hey, it could be so much worse!

 

[ManinBlack]

Apparently there was a study from 1997 showing hair loss to be linked to the Hep B vaccine in a small number of patients. I don't know about flu. Alopecia Universalis seems like a very extreme reaction to a vaccine. Perhaps you had a genetic predisposition for it that was triggered by the vaccine. The immune reaction is probably right. I am sorry this happened to you. Is there anybody else in your family that has alopecia?

 

[hairblues]

Apparently there was a study from 1997 showing hair loss to be linked to the Hep B vaccine in a small number of patients. I don't know about flu. Alopecia Universalis seems like a very extreme reaction to a vaccine. Perhaps you had a genetic predisposition for it that was triggered by the vaccine. The immune reaction is probably right. I am sorry this happened to you. Is there anybody else in your family that has alopecia?

It is autoimmune that is exactly what happens with all autoimmune illness i believe..one thing can trigger it and then you are predisposed genetically to have it.