Causes of Diffuse Alopecia in Women

September 1994 in “ Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology ”

Aziza Rustom, JS Pasricha

diffuse alopecia psychological stress fever childbirth abortion surgical operation haemoglobin ESR urinary tract infection gastrointestinal parasites telogen effluvium hair loss stress infection parasites

TLDR Hair loss in women was often caused by stress, illness, childbirth, or low hemoglobin, with most cases being telogen effluvium.

In 1994, a study was conducted on 50 female patients aged between 14-45 years who were experiencing diffuse hair loss for periods ranging from 1-22 months. The study aimed to identify the causes of hair loss. The results showed that psychological stress was the cause in 21 cases, fever in 11 cases, childbirth/abortion in 5 cases, and surgical operation in 3 cases. In 15 cases, no known causes of hair loss were identified. However, routine laboratory investigations revealed a haemoglobin level of less than 12 gm% in 25 cases, an ESR higher than 20 mm in 18 cases, asymptomatic urinary tract infection in 13 cases, and gastrointestinal parasites in stools in 12 cases. Therefore, each patient had at least one causative factor, and many had more than one factor that could be responsible for the hair loss. Almost all the cases seemed to have telogen effluvium. Appropriate treatment normalized the hair loss.

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