Diffuse Hair Loss: Could the Patient Have an Eating Disorder?

The document reports on two cases where diffuse hair loss, known as telogen effluvium, was observed as a result of underlying eating disorders. The first case involved an 18-year-old girl with severe anorexia nervosa who experienced non-scarring hair loss, which she acknowledged was related to her eating disorder and motivated her to regain weight. The second case was a 35-year-old female who suffered hair loss due to laxative abuse and a relapse of her eating disorder. The article also references a classification by Gupta of the cutaneous signs of eating disorders into four groups: those resulting from malnutrition, those from vomiting, those from laxative/diuretic abuse, and psychocutaneous signs. The authors emphasize that dermatologists often encounter patients with diffuse hair loss and suggest that, given the prevalence of eating disorders, they should routinely consider these as a potential underlying cause, as hair loss has been reported in 24% to 50% of patients with eating disorders.