Estimation of zinc and iron levels in the serum and hair of women with androgenetic alopecia: Case–control study

Abstract

Background:Although female androgenetic alopecia (FAGA) occurs in genetically susceptible women, some trace elements may play an important role.Aim of the Study:This study aimed to evaluate serum and hair zinc and iron levels in patients with FAGA and to compare the findings with normal controls.Patients and Methods:A case–control study that was conducted at Dermatology Clinic in Basra General Hospital, Basra, Iraq. The participants were divided into two groups: The first group consisted of 27 women with FAGA and the second was age-matched 28 healthy women control group. The serum and hair zinc and iron assays were done for all participants.Results:Both hair and serum zinc levels in FAGA group were significantly lower than that in the control (103.4±25.5 ppm vs. 143.5±33.1 ppm for hair and 65.6±14.2 μg/dl vs. 128.4±41.4 μg/dl for serum). Hair iron level in FAGA was significantly lower than in control (17.9±3.8 ppm vs. 26.9±7.4 ppm, P>0.05). Serum iron level in FAGA group was lower than in the control, but it was not significant statistically (88.9±22.3 μg/dl vs. 100.9±18.9 μg/dl). Except for the hair iron, there was no significant correlation between zinc and iron concentrations in hair and serum with severity of alopecia.Conclusions:Zinc and iron levels in serum and hair were lower in FAGA compared to that of normal individuals indicating that trace elements might play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of FAGA.

Clinical efficacy of popular oral hair growth supplement ingredients

“…Serum zinc was significantly lower in patients with androgenetic alopecia compared to controls 15 . Similar results were found in studies comparing patients with AA to controls and comparing patients with female androgenetic alopecia to controls, with significantly lower zinc in the diseased population 22,23 …”

Assessment of Serum Vit D and Serum Ferritin in Female Pattern Androgenic Alopecia

“…Even more, the aromatase enzyme activity at the frontal area in women was 6 times more active than that in men. (25) The investigators found that the mean ferritin level in patients with androgenic alopecia was statistically significantly lower than in normal subjects without hair loss. Dermatologists commonly assess the serum iron status in women with AGA because of the assumption that iron deficiency can cause alopecia.…”

Análise comparativa entre os tratamentos para alopecia: uma revisão sistemática

“…A alopecia androgenética é uma doença na qual a queda de cabelo ocorre devido à predisposição genética, que pode ocorrer em qualquer idade após a puberdade e em ambos os sexos. É uma alopecia dependente de andrógeno em indivíduos geneticamente predispostos, em que ocorre conversão dos fios em cabelos miniaturizados (Dhaher & Yacoub, 2018).…”