Diagnosis and Treatment of Female Alopecia: Focusing on Iron Deficiency-Related Alopecia

The study "Diagnosis and treatment of female alopecia: Focusing on the iron deficiency-related alopecia" involved 155 female patients and found that iron deficiency (ID) was the most common cause of female alopecia (FA), accounting for 70.3% of cases. The majority of women with ID-related alopecia were premenopausal, with an average age of 34.4 years. The study identified ferritin as a more sensitive marker than hemoglobin for early detection of ID, and suggested that the normal serum ferritin level should be redefined as ≥60 ng/mL. The study also found that iron and zinc deficiencies often coexist and that psychological stress is a common comorbidity in ID-FA. The authors recommend initiating iron supplementation within 6 months for a better prognosis of ID-FA.