Role of iron in telogen effluvium among premenopausal women

Abeer Abdel-Hakam Hodeib, Yomna Mazid El-Hamd Neinaa, Heba Ahmed Mourad, Riham Ali Sabry Daba

Egyptian Journal of Dermatology and Venerology 2017 37(2):56-61

Background Telogen effluvium (TE) is the most common cause for diffuse nonscarring hair loss that is characterized by excessive loss of telogen hair. It is mainly of two types − acute TE or chronic TE. Iron deficiency has been suggested as a possible etiological factor for TE in women; however, its role is still controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the iron profile in TE among premenopausal women, to throw light on its possible role in the pathogenesis of this disease. Patients and methods A total of 40 premenopausal women with TE, and 20 age-matched healthy women were enrolled in this study. Venous blood samples were collected from all and examined for complete blood cell counts, serum iron, serum ferritin, and total iron-binding capacity. Results TE patients showed statistically significant decreased hemoglobin concentrations in comparison with controls, and acute TE women had the lowest hemoglobin concentrations. Serum iron showed a statistically highly significant decrease in TE women (both acute and chronic) in comparison with controls. No statistically significant difference could be detected between the studied groups regarding serum ferritin and total iron-binding capacity, but there was a statistically significant number of chronic TE patients with serum ferritin levels below 20 ng/ml. Conclusion Iron deficiency may have a possible role in the pathogenesis of TE among premenopausal women. Checking hemoglobin concentrations is particularly important in acute TE, whereas determining serum ferritin levels is particularly important in chronic TE.

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