Hair Loss: Who Needs Laboratory Tests?

    January 2020 in “ Kocatepe Tıp Dergisi ”
    Habibullah Aktaş, Gökşen Ertuğrul
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    TLDR Not all hair loss patients need lab tests; patient history and physical exams are key to deciding who does.
    In 2020, a study involving 622 patients with hair loss complaints was conducted at Karabük Training and Research Hospital Dermatology Clinic. The study aimed to determine the importance of patient history and physical examination in diagnosing hair loss and identifying which patients required laboratory tests. The patient group was 55% female and 45% male, with 51% diagnosed with diffuse hair loss, 33% with alopecia areata, and 12% with androgenetic alopecia. Among female patients with diffuse hair loss, 10% had iron deficiency anemia and 30% had Vitamin D deficiency. No abnormal laboratory findings were detected in male patients or in female patients with alopecia areata, androgenetic alopecia, and scarring alopecia, except for the 10% iron deficiency in women with diffuse hair loss. The study concluded that laboratory tests can provide insight into the cause of hair loss in some patients, but a thorough history and physical examination are crucial in guiding which tests are needed.
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