Did Immunizations Cause My Daughter’s Hair Loss?
My question is in regards to my daughter. I have an 11 year old daughter who about 3 weeks ago started experiencing hair loss (none before then). She’s always had a full head of hair, but now I can feel the difference.
I noticed her hair started falling out after I brought her in for her physical. She was given two immunization Tdap and Menactra. Could hair loss be a side effect to any of these immunizations? I brought her back this week and her doctor ran additional blood tests, which he said came back normal. I asked for a referral to see a dermatologist because I’m concerned with the hair loss. Can you shed some light on this problem or can you advise as to what I should be asking the dermatologist when we see him?
Thank you for your help.
I doubt immunization caused her hair loss. Menactra is a meningitis vaccine and Tdap is tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccines. I am unable to find any cases referenced that mention hair loss from those.
While vaccines in general don’t cause hair loss, there’s a small study published in 1997 that links temporary hair loss and the hepatitis B vaccine in very rare cases, though most children in the world receive standard immunizations and they do fine. I realize the topic of immunization in children has been in the media in recent years due to a report connecting those shots as a cause of autism, but that turned out to be false.
With respect to your daughter’s hair loss, I really cannot say. I would defer to the doctor who will be examining her. Sometimes hair shedding may be just temporary and you may be overreacting.
My daugter received the same 2 vacines 2 weeks ago, she is 11 and has lost so much hair that I have scheduled her to see the Dr. Next week. It started after the vacines!
My daughter had her 11 year old shots, tdap and mcv4, and her hair started falling out in clumps 3 weeks later. We have seen a dermatologist awho ran a series of tests with every thing coming back negative. It has to be the shots.
I am from small town Minnesota and not only did my father have complete hair loss after receiving a tetanus shot- there are 3 other cases of it in our town alone, 2 other males and one female, and another young girl about 100 miles away and a young gentleman in the Army who’s family is from around here who also had complete hair loss after the shot. I have been trying to find more cases online but there isn’t much to be found. Hair loss is not listed as a side effect but if you ask me it should be close to the top of the list.
My 11 yo old son lost a patch of hair after the vaccinations, Hep B, tetanus and one more cant remember it now. We have read alo t and it seems more common than we expected. He also had psoriasis in the area never had it before and lost a lot of hair.