Figure 2.

Association of “difference of serum ferritin” with the “duration of hair loss” and “subjective improvement”. The definition of “difference of serum ferritin” is the difference between the value of serum ferritin detected on the last follow-up after iron supplementation and the value of serum ferritin detected before iron supplementation. (a) The shorter the duration, particularly <6 months (the acute phase), the greater the improvement in serum ferritin levels after iron supplementation. (b) However, the serum ferritin levels in few patients with a duration of >2 years could still be corrected after iron supplementation. (c) Patients with subjective improvement after taking iron supplements had higher ferritin differences. Therefore, the difference in serum ferritin levels may predict subsequent subjective improvements