S12 IRON SUPPLEMENTATION FOR UNEXPLAINED HAIR LOSS IN NON-ANAEMIC WOMEN: PRO
Rushton DH
School of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, UNITED KINGDOM

Textbooks and laboratories list different reference ranges for haemoglobin (Hb) and serum ferritin for adult men and women of childbearing age. Is this correct? What biological reason is there for such a sex difference? Women often have diets low in iron and combined with menstrual blood loss results in a female population that has lower Hb and serum ferritin concentrations than men; but is this a true biological dimorphism? If so, why does it only apply to human females of childbearing age and no other mammal? Alternatively, is it just another example of widespread nutritional deficiency? The methods used to obtain these ranges should be questioned. Studies on UK men reveal that over the last 10 years there has been a fall in the mean Hb and serum ferritin concentrations due to dietary change exacerbated by the BSE “mad cow“ scare. Few physicians worry about an Hb of 120 g/L in a female but most would be concerned if a male presented with this value. The evidence that male and female references should be very similar will be discussed. The role of iron in iron deficiency anaemia, based on current reference ranges, is well established. If the ranges are wrong, that alone will automatically redefine a large number of women as not only iron deficient but anaemic. In a large US study, Waalen et al. found 39% of women in San Diego to be iron deficient. The biological consequences of such widespread deficiency will be discussed. The evidence for the role of iron depletion in women’s hair loss will also be discussed.