Zinc Status in Kurdish Adults With Hair Loss

TL;DR

This study found that lower zinc levels are associated with hair loss in Kurdish adults, particularly in alopecia areata and telogen effluvium.

Contribution

The study establishes a link between zinc deficiency and specific types of hair loss in the Kurdish population.

Findings

Participants with hair loss had significantly lower serum zinc levels than controls.

Telogen effluvium was associated with the lowest zinc levels and highest odds ratio.

Severe zinc deficiency was present in 9.6% of hair loss cases but none in controls.

Abstract

Background: Zinc is an essential element for hair growth and may act as a strong inhibitor in accelerating follicle regression, besides being an accelerator for the recovery of the hair follicle. This study investigated the status of zinc in Kurdish adults with hair loss and its relation with each of the four types of hair loss.

Methods: We investigated the zinc status of a sample of Kurdish adults with hair loss who attended the Dermatology Outpatient Clinics at Azadi Teaching Hospital in Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. We included a total of 200 subjects in this study, of which 125 had hair loss with a diagnosis of alopecia areata, female pattern hair loss, male pattern hair loss, and telogen effluvium, and 75 were sex- and age-matched apparently healthy subjects without hair fall as a control group. Serum samples were used to measure zinc by colorimetric technique.

Results: In participants with hair loss, we found significantly lower serum zinc levels (p=0.002) compared with the control group. The telogen effluvium group had the lowest mean serum zinc level (p=0.006) and higher odds ratio compared with other hair loss groups (4.61). Overall, severe zinc deficiency was found in 12 (9.6%) subjects with hair loss, whereas none of the controls had severe zinc deficiency. Mild-to-moderate zinc deficiency was observed in 43 (34.4%) subjects with hair loss compared to one (1.3%) in the control group.

Conclusions: Our results showed that lower zinc status is linked to hair loss, especially alopecia areata and telogen effluvium in the Kurdish population.