Expert: Dr. Frederick Blount - 7/14/2006

Question
My 17 month old daughter has presented hair loss over the past
6 weeks that I've noticed. Her pediatrician said it was Telogen
Effluvium. Her ped. did a basic history of the past six months of
her health and briefly examined her scalp. She had an iron test
which revealed itself to be normal (11.8). Is that enough to rest
my very worrisome mind. Here is her current condition and brief
history:

-Diffuse hair loss with NO patches or bare spots at all.
-Scalp looks normal.
-Very, very mild dry skin patches on her torso - don't seem to
bother her at all. Ped said treat with Eucerin lotion and mild soap
for tubs.
-I did a 24 hour hair collect sample and she had lost about 200
hairs. All the hairs appeared to have the tiny club root on the
end.
-Of the hair samples, I didn't notice any thinning of the hair as it
got closer to the club root that would look like exclamation
point hairs.
-Hair pull test presented four telogen hairs out of maybe 30-50
when I pulled gently, but firm.

-Since April. 2005 she has had a number of cases of ear
infections, flu's and one immunization reaction.

Illnesses of most importance to note:
October 2005 - hospitalized for flu-induced dehydration
Nov. 2005 - 24 hour Flu with fever/diahhrea/throw up
Jan. 2006 - Ear infection
Feb. 2006 - 10 day virus with fever/throw up/diahhrea
March 15-April 17 2006 - 4 week long ear infection with 4
different antibiotics and very bad diahhrea that resulted in her
bottom bleeding very badly from the stool acidity.
May 24- MMR Shot and bad reaction 9 days later with head to
toe spots and high fever.
End of June - noticed diffused hair loss

Of course I am on the internet working myself into a panic
thinking she might have something more serious.

Any insight will be extraordinarily helpful
Elizabeth

Answer
 Instead of molting in a season as most animals do,human beings lose hair a little at a time but with an accelerated rate at some times of the year. And there are events, such  as fever, that increase the loss temporarily. I think all of the illness she had in the late winter may have aggrevated her  loss but I don't think anything you told me means that she has a problem. Give her 6 months and reassess the situation and I think you will agree that there is nothing wrong.