Loss of scalp hair is not a serious life-threatening disorder, but it can cause psychological distress and adversely affect quality of life. Hairs are rapidly proliferating organ with much requirement of blood supply. Therefore, the relationship between micronutrients and hair loss has been evaluated in several studies since the 1960s. The most widely cited nutritional causes of hair loss include iron, one of the key micronutrients in metabolism of our body. It is known that iron deficiency (ID) is associated with many pathological conditions. However, its role in hair loss is not well established yet. While studies show relationship between ID and hair loss, including
female pattern hair loss (FPHL), telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, alopecia universalis or totalis, some
advocated the association and others opposed it. The controversy might be caused by study designs, methodology and clinical condition defining hair loss. For detection of ID, serum ferritin level can be used as a very early marker. It is a main iron-binding protein in nonerythroid cells reflecting total body iron stores. It decreases from very early stage of ID as iron reserves go down. Because only ID can cause very low serum ferritin concentration (FC), a FC is very specific for ID.