Diagnosis and treatment of female alopecia: Focusing on the iron deficiency-related alopecia
Objectives: Alopecia is a soft but meaningful complaint affecting women's physical and psychological health. Female alopecia (FA) has diverse etiologies. Nonetheless, FA is stereotyped as female pattern hair loss, also known as female androgenetic alopecia, and has not been thoroughly investiga...
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Tzu Chi Medical Journal |
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| Online Access: | http://www.tcmjmed.com/article.asp?issn=1016-3190;year=2023;volume=35;issue=4;spage=322;epage=328;aulast=Lin |
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| author | Chia-Shuen Lin Li-Yi Chan Jen-Hung Wang Chung-Hsing Chang |
| author_facet | Chia-Shuen Lin Li-Yi Chan Jen-Hung Wang Chung-Hsing Chang |
| author_sort | Chia-Shuen Lin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: Alopecia is a soft but meaningful complaint affecting women's physical and psychological health. Female alopecia (FA) has diverse etiologies. Nonetheless, FA is stereotyped as female pattern hair loss, also known as female androgenetic alopecia, and has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to identify the etiologies of FA at a tertiary medical center in Eastern Taiwan. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study enrolled female patients with hair loss who visited the dermatology department of (blinded information). A complete history taking was obtained, including the onset and duration of alopecia, menstruation, gynecologic diseases, psychological stress, underlying diseases, vaccination, and dietary habits, etc., Blood tests were performed, including hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, Zn, autoimmune and thyroid profiles, etc., Iron deficiency (ID) was defined as serum ferritin level <60 ng/mL. The hair condition, ferritin, and Hb levels were monitored every 3 months after supplementation. Results: A total of 155 patients were recruited. The etiologies of FA were diverse; the top five etiologies were nutrient deficiencies (83.9%), autoimmune (14.8%) and thyroid (7.7%) diseases, psychological stress (12.3%), and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination (6.5%). ID accounted for 70.3% of cases. The disease duration was an important prognostic factor for the improvement of serum ferritin. Patients with subjective improvement of hair regrowth also had more increase of ferritin levels after iron supplementation. The corresponding ferritin level for female anemia (Hb: 12.0 g/dL) was 5.1 ng/mL, lower than the adequate level for hair growth (40–60 ng/mL), the corresponding Hb level of which was 13.1–13.8 g/dL. Conclusion: The causes of FA varied, including nutrient deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, psychological stress, thyroid diseases, and COVID-19 vaccination, etc., Therefore, a complete survey before treatment is essential. Seventy percentage of FA cases were ID-FA. We suggest to redefine the serum ferritin level ≥60 ng/mL, with the corresponding Hb ≥13.0 g/dL as the normal range for early diagnosis. Initiation of iron supplementation within 6 months would result in a better prognosis. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-04d494ce25854d1fadecb21956ca452a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1016-3190 2223-8956 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tzu Chi Medical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-04d494ce25854d1fadecb21956ca452a2025-08-20T02:55:12ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsTzu Chi Medical Journal1016-31902223-89562023-01-0135432232810.4103/tcmj.tcmj_95_23Diagnosis and treatment of female alopecia: Focusing on the iron deficiency-related alopeciaChia-Shuen LinLi-Yi ChanJen-Hung WangChung-Hsing ChangObjectives: Alopecia is a soft but meaningful complaint affecting women's physical and psychological health. Female alopecia (FA) has diverse etiologies. Nonetheless, FA is stereotyped as female pattern hair loss, also known as female androgenetic alopecia, and has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to identify the etiologies of FA at a tertiary medical center in Eastern Taiwan. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study enrolled female patients with hair loss who visited the dermatology department of (blinded information). A complete history taking was obtained, including the onset and duration of alopecia, menstruation, gynecologic diseases, psychological stress, underlying diseases, vaccination, and dietary habits, etc., Blood tests were performed, including hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, Zn, autoimmune and thyroid profiles, etc., Iron deficiency (ID) was defined as serum ferritin level <60 ng/mL. The hair condition, ferritin, and Hb levels were monitored every 3 months after supplementation. Results: A total of 155 patients were recruited. The etiologies of FA were diverse; the top five etiologies were nutrient deficiencies (83.9%), autoimmune (14.8%) and thyroid (7.7%) diseases, psychological stress (12.3%), and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination (6.5%). ID accounted for 70.3% of cases. The disease duration was an important prognostic factor for the improvement of serum ferritin. Patients with subjective improvement of hair regrowth also had more increase of ferritin levels after iron supplementation. The corresponding ferritin level for female anemia (Hb: 12.0 g/dL) was 5.1 ng/mL, lower than the adequate level for hair growth (40–60 ng/mL), the corresponding Hb level of which was 13.1–13.8 g/dL. Conclusion: The causes of FA varied, including nutrient deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, psychological stress, thyroid diseases, and COVID-19 vaccination, etc., Therefore, a complete survey before treatment is essential. Seventy percentage of FA cases were ID-FA. We suggest to redefine the serum ferritin level ≥60 ng/mL, with the corresponding Hb ≥13.0 g/dL as the normal range for early diagnosis. Initiation of iron supplementation within 6 months would result in a better prognosis.http://www.tcmjmed.com/article.asp?issn=1016-3190;year=2023;volume=35;issue=4;spage=322;epage=328;aulast=Linalopeciafemale alopeciairon deficiencyiron deficiency-related female alopecia |
| spellingShingle | Chia-Shuen Lin Li-Yi Chan Jen-Hung Wang Chung-Hsing Chang Diagnosis and treatment of female alopecia: Focusing on the iron deficiency-related alopecia Tzu Chi Medical Journal alopecia female alopecia iron deficiency iron deficiency-related female alopecia |
| title | Diagnosis and treatment of female alopecia: Focusing on the iron deficiency-related alopecia |
| title_full | Diagnosis and treatment of female alopecia: Focusing on the iron deficiency-related alopecia |
| title_fullStr | Diagnosis and treatment of female alopecia: Focusing on the iron deficiency-related alopecia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diagnosis and treatment of female alopecia: Focusing on the iron deficiency-related alopecia |
| title_short | Diagnosis and treatment of female alopecia: Focusing on the iron deficiency-related alopecia |
| title_sort | diagnosis and treatment of female alopecia focusing on the iron deficiency related alopecia |
| topic | alopecia female alopecia iron deficiency iron deficiency-related female alopecia |
| url | http://www.tcmjmed.com/article.asp?issn=1016-3190;year=2023;volume=35;issue=4;spage=322;epage=328;aulast=Lin |
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