Association of serum ferritin with chronic diffuse alopecia in female patient

Background: Diffuse alopecia is a psycho-social stressor on human life. As iron is involved in crucial physiological processes within the hair follicle, iron deficiency is suspected to disrupt hair growth. Chronic telogen effluvium (CTE) and female pattern hair loss (FPHL) are the most common causes of chronic diffuse alopecia in females. In both conditions, low iron store have been considered as a possible contributing factor. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based case control study, conducted in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) to evaluate the association of serum ferritin with chronic diffuse alopecia in female patient. Results: The mean age of the females with chronic diffuse hair loss was 26.83±7.78 year and 92.9% females had serum ferritin level <30 ng/ml. The mean serum ferritin level in females with chronic diffuse hair loss, CTE and FPHL were 16.3±11.61 ng/ml,12.35±7.15 ng/ml and 20.25±16.07 ng/ml respectively, which were lower than control 54.37±26.07 ng/ml. A highly significant (p<0.001) difference found in the mean serum ferritin level between the groups. In females with CTE, 42.5% had serum ferritin level < 12ng/ml (iron deficient) and 37.5% had 12-20 ng/ml (iron depletion). In females with FPHL, 23.3% and 30% patients had serum ferritin level <12 ng/ml and 12-20ng/ml respectively. Conclusion: This study found the level of serum ferritin were significantly low in females with chronic diffuse hair loss both in chronic telogen effluvium (CTE) and female pattern hair loss (FPHL), indicating there is a definite association of decreased iron store and diffuse hair loss.