Objective: Hair loss is one of the most common reasons for presentation to dermatology clinics and can negatively affect the daily life of the patient in terms of both psychosocial and physical effects. Telogen effluvium is one of the main causes of non-scarring hair loss. Our aim in this study is to investigate the possible effect of laboratory values in the etiology of telogen effluvium.

Material and Method: This study was conducted by retrospectively examining the medical records of patients who applied to Besni State Hospital between August 1, 2023 and July 31, 2024 with hair loss complaints and were clinically diagnosed with telogen effluvium. The possible relationship between ferritin, vitamin B12, folic acid, magnesium and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) of 458 patients included in the study and telogen effluvium was evaluated.

Results: The majority of the 458 patients diagnosed with telogen effluvium were female (87.8%). Ferritin levels were below 70 μg/L in 95.9% of patients, below 40 μg/L in 85.8%, and below the laboratory-defined threshold of 24 μg/L in 69.9%. B12 deficiency was present in 12% of the patients, magnesium deficiency in 5.7%, and folate deficiency in only 0.22%. TSH levels were below the normal range in 2.2% of patients and above the normal range in 3.1%.

Conclusion: We suggest that magnesium, whose relationship with telogen effluvium has not been sufficiently investigated in the literature, should be considered alongside commonly assessed parameters such as ferritin, B12, and thyroid function tests in patients with suspected telogen effluvium.