title: Methods of hair loss evaluation in patients with endocrine disorders.
abstract: Hair loss may accompany several endocrine disorders, including hypopituitarism, hypothyreosis, hyperthyreosis, hypoparathyroidism, diabetes mellitus, growth hormone deficiency, hyperprolactinaemia, polycystic ovary syndrome, SAHA syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Cushing syndrome, or virilising tumours. Most patients with endocrine disorders present with diffuse non-scarring alopecia, such as anagen effluvium, telogen effluvium or androgenetic alopecia. Focal non-scarring alopecia, such as alopecia areata coexisting with autoimmune thyroiditis, is less frequent and scarring alopecia is a rare finding in patients with endocrine abnormalities. In some cases an endocrine disorder may be suspected based on dermatological findings during hair loss evaluation. Classic methods of hair evaluation include hair weighing, pull test, wash test, the trichogram, and histopathological examination. Newly developed non-invasive diagnostic techniques include the phototrichogram, trichoscan, trichoscopy, and reflectance confocal microscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. malgorzata.olszewska@wum.edu.pl
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olszewska
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Warszawik
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rakowska
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Słowińska
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rudnicka
mesh_terms: D000505:Alopecia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male