Increased risk of chronic fatigue and hair loss following COVID-19 in individuals with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia

Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases

Antje Neubert¹  Verena Hennig²  Holm Schneider²  Dirk Mielenz³  Hans-Martin Jäck³  Wolfgang Schuh³ 

[1] Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Erlangen, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Loschgestr. 15, 91054, Erlangen, Germany;Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Erlangen, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Loschgestr. 15, 91054, Erlangen, Germany;Center for Ectodermal Dysplasias, University Hospital Erlangen, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany;Division of Molecular Immunology, University Hospital Erlangen, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany;

关键词: Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia;    SARS-CoV-2;    COVID-19;    Chronic fatigue;    Hair loss;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13023-021-02011-z

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundHypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) is a group of genodermatoses in which deficient ectodysplasin A signalling leads to maldevelopment of skin appendages, various eccrine glands, and teeth. Individuals with HED often have disrupted epithelial barriers and, therefore, were suspected to be more susceptible to coronavirus infection.Methods56 households with at least one member who had coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) were enrolled in a longitudinal study to compare the course of illness, immune responses, and long-term consequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in HED patients (n = 15, age 9–52 years) and control subjects of the same age group (n = 149).ResultsIn 14 HED patients, mild or moderate typical COVID-19 symptoms were observed that lasted for 4–45 days. Fever during the first days sometimes required external cooling measures. The course of COVID-19 was similar to that in control subjects if patients developed antibodies blocking the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Five out of six HED patients with completely abrogated ectodysplasin A signalling (83%) suffered from chronic, in two cases very severe fatigue following COVID-19, while only 25% of HED patients with residual activity of this pathway and 21% of control subjects recovering from COVID-19 experienced postinfectious fatigue. Hair loss after COVID-19 was also more frequent among HED patients (64%) than in the control group (13%).ConclusionsHED appears to be associated with an increased risk of long-term consequences of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Preventive vaccination against COVID-19 should be recommended for individuals affected by this rare genetic disorder.

【 授权许可】

CC BY