Reduced Ferritin, Folate, and Vitamin B12 Levels in Female Patients Diagnosed With Telogen Effluvium

In a 2018 study involving 455 female patients with telogen effluvium (TE) and a control group of 196 females without hair loss, researchers found that the TE group had significantly lower levels of serum ferritin (17.35±18.54 ng/ml vs. 39.27±29.44 ng/ml), folate (7.94±8.98 ng/ml vs. 11.31±4.7 ng/ml), and vitamin B12 (232.13±123.35 pg/ml vs. 306.41±182.28 pg/ml) compared to the control group, with all differences being statistically significant (p=0.001). The study concluded that deficiencies in ferritin, folate, and vitamin B12 might contribute to the development of TE and that iron deficiency is an important risk factor. The authors suggest that correcting these deficiencies could be beneficial in treating patients with TE.