Iron Deficiency and Diffuse Nonscarring Scalp Alopecia in Women: More Pieces to the Puzzle

The document from December 2010 reviews the literature on the potential link between iron deficiency and nonscarring scalp alopecia in women, suggesting that iron deficiency might affect hair cycle progression by impacting iron-dependent genes in the hair follicle bulge region. The authors discuss their approach to diagnosing and treating women with low iron stores and hair loss, including blood tests and iron supplementation to maintain ferritin levels above 50 µg/L. They acknowledge the limitations of existing research, such as small sample sizes and the need for randomized controlled trials, and call for further investigation. The studies reviewed had sample sizes ranging from 12 to 5110 subjects, but only three directly evaluated the effect of iron supplementation on hair loss. The paper concludes that there is evidence to suggest a connection between iron stores and hair maintenance, and recommends more research into treating iron-deficient women with hair loss.