Retrospective Review of 2851 Female Patients With Telogen Effluvium: A Single-Center Experience
Karakoyun O
Published in Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology
Methodology
Retrospective review of 2,851 female patients diagnosed with telogen effluvium at Dicle University dermatology outpatient clinic from 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2024, analysing serum ferritin, vitamin B12, folic acid, thyroid function and haemoglobin using SPSS 27 with chi-square, t-tests, correlation and logistic regression.
Key Findings
Records of 2,851 women diagnosed with telogen effluvium at a single Turkish dermatology clinic between January 2010 and June 2024 were reviewed (mean age 26.3 years; 83.5% aged 18-45). Low ferritin was the most common abnormality, found in 1,123 of 2,413 tested (46.5%), with iron deficiency in 685 (29.5%) and low haemoglobin in 317 of 2,496 (11.1%). Vitamin B12 deficiency was much less common at 150 patients (5.8%) and folate deficiency was rare at 8 patients (0.6%). The authors conclude iron and ferritin deficiency is a frequent finding in women with this type of hair shedding and that the relevance of B12, ferritin, TSH and T3 varies across life stages such as adolescence and post-menopause.
Conclusions
Deficiency of laboratory parameters, especially ferritin and serum iron, is a common finding in female patients presenting with TE.
Limitations
A retrospective single-centre chart review with no control group, so it cannot show whether low ferritin causes the hair shedding or simply co-occurs; no treatment was tested and the population is young women in one region of Turkey.
Supplements Studied
Deficiency of laboratory parameters, especially ferritin and serum iron, is a common finding in female patients presenting with TE.
Related Health Concerns
Study Details
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