Significant impact of telogen effluvium on quality of life, depression, anxiety and stress: a prospective case-control study

Although stress and hair loss are often interrelated, there are few publications that have focused on the association between hair loss and stress. Telogen effluvium (TE) is a common form of generalized hair loss. To evaluate the perceived stress, depression, anxiety, and quality of life (QoL) in patients with TE A total of 205 patients diagnosed with TE and 105 healthy age- and sex-matched controls participated in the study. The questionnaires used in the study were the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (including the Perceived Self-Efficacy Subscale [PSES] and the Perceived Helplessness Subscale [PHS]), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The mean scores for the DLQI, PSS, BAI, and BDI of the TE group were significantly higher than those of the controls (p<0.001, p=0.012, p=0.011, respectively). No statistically significant correlation was found between duration of disease (months) and DLQI, PSS, PHS, PSES, BAI, or BDI levels (p>0.05). DLQI scores significantly correlated with PSS, PHS, PSES, BAI, and BDI in the TE group (p<0.001 for each). The decrease in QoL of TE patients correlates with an increase in symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. More comprehensive multi-centre studies are needed to further understand the association between TE and stress, depression, and anxiety status.