Can Lyme Disease Cause Hair Loss? What You Should Know

Can Lyme disease cause hair loss?

It’s a question that comes up surprisingly often in the Lyme community—and I’m probably an interesting person to answer it.

I’m bald. I’ve also had Lyme disease.

But I’ve never blamed Lyme for my hair loss.

My dad is bald. My brother is bald. Given that family history, genetics seems like a much more obvious explanation for what happened to my hair.

And that illustrates an important point for anyone dealing with Lyme disease:

Just because a symptom occurs in someone who has Lyme disease doesn’t necessarily mean Lyme caused it.

Hair loss is not generally considered one of the hallmark symptoms of Lyme disease. However, there are several ways that Lyme disease, another significant illness, or the circumstances surrounding chronic illness could potentially contribute to hair shedding indirectly.

Here’s what you should know.

Is Hair Loss a Symptom of Lyme Disease?

Hair loss is not one of the classic symptoms typically used to recognize or diagnose Lyme disease.

Early Lyme disease is more commonly associated with symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes, and the characteristic erythema migrans rash in some patients.

Later manifestations can involve the joints, nervous system, and heart.

Hair loss is not typically included among these hallmark manifestations.

That doesn’t mean someone with Lyme disease can't experience hair loss. It means we should be careful about assuming that Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease in North America, is directly attacking the hair follicles or that Lyme is necessarily responsible.

In some cases, the connection could be much more indirect.

Chronic Illness and Telogen Effluvium

One possible explanation for hair shedding during or after a significant illness is a condition called telogen effluvium.

Hair naturally progresses through different stages of growth and rest. A significant physical or emotional stressor can cause a larger-than-normal number of hairs to enter the resting—or telogen—phase.

Those hairs can then begin shedding later.

Potential triggers for telogen effluvium can include:

• Significant illness
• High fever
• Surgery
• Major psychological stress
• Rapid weight loss
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Certain medications
• Major physiological changes

This means that someone who becomes extremely sick with Lyme disease could potentially experience increased hair shedding afterward.

But there's an important distinction:

Hair shedding following a serious illness is not the same thing as demonstrating that Lyme bacteria directly cause hair loss.

Telogen effluvium can occur after many different illnesses and physiological stressors.

Can Stress From Lyme Disease Cause Hair Loss?

Potentially.

Chronic illness can put enormous physical and emotional stress on the body.

Someone struggling with Lyme disease may experience prolonged periods of poor sleep, reduced physical activity, changes in appetite, weight loss, psychological stress, and other disruptions.

Any one of these factors—or several occurring simultaneously—could potentially affect the normal hair-growth cycle.

This is another reason the question isn't necessarily as simple as:

“Does Lyme cause hair loss?”

A better question may be:

“What changed around the time my hair loss started?”

Nutritional Deficiencies and Hair Loss

Nutrition is another factor worth investigating.

Being chronically sick can dramatically change how someone eats.

You may lose your appetite. You may unintentionally lose weight. Or you may adopt an extremely restrictive diet while trying to identify foods that seem to worsen your symptoms.

Over time, inadequate nutrition or certain nutrient deficiencies can contribute to hair problems.

Depending on your individual circumstances, a healthcare provider may consider factors such as:

• Iron status
• Protein intake
• Zinc
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B12
• Folate

This doesn't mean everyone experiencing hair loss should immediately start taking a long list of supplements.

In fact, that can create an entirely different problem.

The goal should be to identify whether a deficiency or inadequate intake actually exists and address the underlying issue appropriately.

Other Causes of Hair Loss That Have Nothing to Do With Lyme

This is where it's especially important not to develop tunnel vision.

There are many potential causes of hair loss unrelated to Lyme disease.

These can include:

Genetics

Androgenetic alopecia—commonly known as male-pattern or female-pattern hair loss—is extremely common.

If you're a man whose father, brother, grandfather, and half the men in your family are bald, Lyme disease probably shouldn't automatically become your leading explanation for a gradually receding hairline.

That's certainly the category I put myself in.

Thanks, Dad.

Thyroid Problems

Thyroid dysfunction can sometimes contribute to changes in hair growth or diffuse hair thinning.

If hair loss is occurring alongside other unexplained symptoms, thyroid function may be one of several areas your healthcare provider considers.

Autoimmune Conditions

Certain autoimmune conditions can cause distinct forms of hair loss.

One example is alopecia areata, which commonly causes round or patchy areas of hair loss.

Hormonal Changes

Hormonal changes can affect the normal hair-growth cycle and may contribute to hair thinning or shedding.

Medications

Certain medications can also contribute to hair loss in some people.

If your hair loss started after beginning or changing a medication, that's worth discussing with your healthcare provider rather than automatically attributing the change to Lyme disease.

Major Stress

Significant physical or emotional stress can affect hair growth and potentially contribute to shedding.

Again, that isn't unique to Lyme disease.

The Timing of Your Hair Loss May Provide Important Clues

If you're experiencing unexplained hair loss, think about when it started.

Did the shedding begin after:

• Becoming severely ill?
• Experiencing a high fever?
• Losing a significant amount of weight?
• Dramatically changing your diet?
• Starting a new medication?
• Going through a major period of physical or emotional stress?

Or has your hairline been slowly retreating for ten years while several other members of your family experienced exactly the same thing?

Those are very different scenarios.

The timing, pattern, and type of hair loss can provide important clues about what may be happening.

Don't Automatically Blame Every Symptom on Lyme Disease

This is the bigger lesson I want people to take away from this article.

Once you've been diagnosed with Lyme disease, it's incredibly easy to start filtering every health problem through Lyme.

Hair falling out?

Lyme.

Headache?

Lyme.

Stomach hurts?

Lyme.

Can't sleep?

Lyme.

But having Lyme disease doesn't prevent you from developing another health problem.

You can have Lyme disease and thyroid dysfunction.

You can have Lyme disease and a nutritional deficiency.

You can have Lyme disease and genetic hair loss.

Sometimes a symptom may be directly related to Lyme disease. Sometimes the relationship may be indirect. And sometimes the symptom may have absolutely nothing to do with Lyme.

The goal should always be to identify the most likely explanation rather than forcing every symptom to fit a Lyme diagnosis.

What Should You Do If You're Losing Hair With Lyme Disease?

If you're experiencing significant, sudden, patchy, or otherwise unexplained hair loss, don't simply assume Lyme disease is responsible.

Talk with a qualified healthcare professional about investigating the underlying cause.

Depending on your situation, that may involve looking at:

• The type and pattern of hair loss
• When the shedding began
• Recent illnesses or fevers
• Major stressors
• Recent weight loss
• Dietary changes and nutritional status
• Current medications
• Thyroid function
• Hormonal or autoimmune factors
• Family history of hair loss

Finding the actual cause gives you a much better chance of doing something useful about it.

Join the Free 4-Day Lyme Recovery Experience

If you've been dealing with Lyme disease for months or years and feel like you're constantly chasing individual symptoms, this is exactly the bigger-picture approach we're going to explore during my free 4-Day Lyme Recovery Experience beginning September 21st.

Because Lyme recovery isn't just about endlessly asking:

“What kills Lyme?”

It's about looking at the entire picture, identifying what may actually be keeping you sick, and building a recovery strategy that helps your body move forward.

Join the Free 4-Day Lyme Recovery Experience →
https://LymeWars.com/live

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Lyme disease directly cause hair loss?

Hair loss is not generally considered a classic hallmark manifestation of Lyme disease, and evidence that Lyme disease routinely causes hair loss by directly damaging hair follicles is limited. However, significant illness and other associated stressors could potentially contribute to hair shedding indirectly.

Can Lyme disease cause telogen effluvium?

A significant illness can trigger telogen effluvium, a form of temporary hair shedding that commonly occurs after physical or emotional stress on the body. Someone who becomes significantly ill with Lyme disease could therefore potentially experience telogen effluvium, but this phenomenon is not specific to Lyme disease.

Can chronic illness make your hair fall out?

Yes. Significant illness, fever, major stress, rapid weight loss, nutritional problems, certain medications, and other physiological stressors can contribute to increased hair shedding in some people.

What nutritional deficiencies can contribute to hair loss?

Iron deficiency, inadequate protein intake, zinc deficiency, and deficiencies involving certain vitamins may be associated with hair loss in some circumstances. Rather than automatically supplementing, it's generally better to discuss appropriate evaluation with a healthcare professional.

How do I know if my hair loss is from Lyme disease?

There isn't a specific pattern of hair loss that proves Lyme disease is responsible. The timing and pattern of hair loss, family history, nutritional status, medications, thyroid function, recent illnesses, stressors, and other potential causes should all be considered.

Will hair grow back after telogen effluvium?

Telogen effluvium is often temporary, and hair growth can recover after the underlying trigger has resolved. Recovery can take time because of the natural length of the hair-growth cycle. Persistent or unexplained shedding should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.

The Bottom Line

Can Lyme disease cause hair loss?

There isn't strong evidence that hair loss is a typical direct manifestation of Lyme disease.

But someone dealing with Lyme disease may still experience hair loss because of significant illness, physiological stress, nutritional problems, weight loss, medications, or other factors.

And sometimes the explanation may have nothing to do with Lyme at all.

In my case, I'm bald and I've had Lyme disease.

But considering my dad and brother are bald too, I'm going to blame genetics for this one.

When you're dealing with chronic illness, resist the temptation to make Lyme the automatic explanation for every new symptom.

Finding the actual cause is far more useful than simply finding a way to connect it to Lyme.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you're experiencing significant or unexplained hair loss, consult a qualified healthcare professional.