title: Oral zinc therapy for zinc deficiency-related telogen effluvium.
abstract: Zinc is crucial for maintaining human body homeostasis and is one of the major components of hormones, signal molecules, and enzymes. Zinc deficiency is caused by insufficient uptake of zinc from food, or caused by malabsorption syndromes, increased gastrointestinal and urinary losses, and administration of various medications. In order to test whether oral zinc administration can successfully improve zinc deficiency-related alopecia, we treated five patients with zinc deficiency-related telogen effluvium with oral zinc administration in the form of polaprezinc (Promac®). In all patients, hair loss was cured or improved. The administration of zinc for zinc deficiency-related alopecia may recover appropriate activities of metalloenzymes, hedgehog signaling, and immunomodulation, all of which are required for normal control of hair growth cycle.
authors: Department of Dermatology, Kurume University School of Medicine, and Kurume University Institute of Cutaneous Cell Biology, Kurume, Japan.
authors: Tadashi
authors: T
authors: Karashima
authors: Daisuke
authors: D
authors: Tsuruta
authors: Takahiro
authors: T
authors: Hamada
authors: Fumitake
authors: F
authors: Ono
authors: Norito
authors: N
authors: Ishii
authors: Toshifumi
authors: T
authors: Abe
authors: Bungo
authors: B
authors: Ohyama
authors: Takekuni
authors: T
authors: Nakama
authors: Teruki
authors: T
authors: Dainichi
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D000505:Alopecia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D002336:Carnosine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015032:Zinc / Q000172:deficiency*; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D017967:Zinc Compounds; C061957:polaprezinc; D002336:Carnosine; D015032:Zinc