Conflict of interest. None declared.

Background. Telogen effluvium (TE) is a very common and distressing condition characterized by sudden, diffuse hair loss caused by an interruption in the normal hair growth cycle due to many etiological factors. Objective. To evaluate trace elements (zinc, copper and iron) in idiopathic TE. Patients and methods. The study included 60 adult females, their age ranged from 16-35 years (mean 22.95 ± 7.31years). They were classified into 2 groups: 34 female patients complaining of hair fall and diagnosed by clinical examination and trichogram as idiopathic telogen effluvium and 26 age matched healthy female controls. Serum iron and ferritin were measured. Zinc and copper were determined in serum and hair by atomic absorption flammable spectrophotometry. Results. There was high statistically significant reduction (p < 0.001) in the levels of serum ferritin, iron, zinc and copper of patients with TE compared to normal females. There was high statistically significant reduction (p < 0.001) in levels of hair zinc and copper of patients of TE compared to controls. Conclusion. Trace element deficiency may play a role in the pathogenesis of telogen effluvium and the estimation of trace elements in serum and hair of those patients could be important in management of th