INTRODUCTION
Non-scarring alopecia is the most common presentation regarding hair loss. Evaluation of alopecia often includes laboratory testing for ferritin, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), vitamin D, and zinc, as previous studies found associations between non-scarring alopecia and vitamin deficiencies.1,2 However, many of these studies included small sample sizes, and subsequent analyses have shown conflicting results.2 To our knowledge, no large-scale study has evaluated whether vitamin or mineral supplementation leads to improved hair outcomes. This study aims to explore laboratory abnormalities in non-scarring alopecia and examine whether supplementation is associated with increased hair growth.
We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with nonscarring alopecia diagnoses seen at NYU Faculty Group Practice (FGP) by an alopecia specialist between January 1, 2008 – September 1, 2018. Patients completed at least two visits, had quantitative hair measurements (density in hairs/cm2 and diameter in microns) at each visit, and laboratory tests at the first visit. All quantitative hair measurements were performed by the same alopecia specialist. Each measurement was taken 12cm from the glabella. Abnormal results were defined as lab values below NYU’s outpatient laboratory normal reference range. We performed a multivariate linear regression to evaluate the effects of various factors on hair growth. Statistical analysis was performed using R.
A total of 131 patients met the inclusion criteria (Table 1). Most participants were female (91.6%) and the mean age was 47.4 years. The most common diagnosis was androgenetic alopecia (43.5%), followed by androgenetic alopecia with telogen effluvium (37.4%), and telogen effluvium (14.5%). Most patients (85.1%) used topical minoxidil as treatment for their alopecia. The median number of oral medications prescribed at the first
We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with nonscarring alopecia diagnoses seen at NYU Faculty Group Practice (FGP) by an alopecia specialist between January 1, 2008 – September 1, 2018. Patients completed at least two visits, had quantitative hair measurements (density in hairs/cm2 and diameter in microns) at each visit, and laboratory tests at the first visit. All quantitative hair measurements were performed by the same alopecia specialist. Each measurement was taken 12cm from the glabella. Abnormal results were defined as lab values below NYU’s outpatient laboratory normal reference range. We performed a multivariate linear regression to evaluate the effects of various factors on hair growth. Statistical analysis was performed using R.
A total of 131 patients met the inclusion criteria (Table 1). Most participants were female (91.6%) and the mean age was 47.4 years. The most common diagnosis was androgenetic alopecia (43.5%), followed by androgenetic alopecia with telogen effluvium (37.4%), and telogen effluvium (14.5%). Most patients (85.1%) used topical minoxidil as treatment for their alopecia. The median number of oral medications prescribed at the first
