Serum Prolactin Levels in Adult Females with Telogen Effluvium: A Case Control Study

January 2021 in “ Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Dermatology ”

Burcu Tuğrul, Gül Aslıhan Çakır Akay

telogen effluvium serum prolactin hyperprolactinemia hyperandrogenism hair loss

TLDR Women with a certain type of hair loss had lower levels of a hormone called prolactin compared to healthy women.

In a 2021 retrospective study involving 47 adult female patients with telogen effluvium (a type of hair loss) and 42 healthy female controls, it was found that the median serum prolactin level in patients was 10.47 ng/mL, significantly lower than in the control group. There was no significant difference in prolactin levels between patients with acute and chronic telogen effluvium. This contradicted most studies that link high prolactin levels with hair loss. The lack of patients with hyperprolactinemia and hyperandrogenism in this study might explain these contrasting results. The study suggested considering the dose and gender-dependent effects of prolactin in hair loss.

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