 telogen effluvium is a scalp disorder characterized by the thinning or shedding of hair resulting from the early entry of hair in the telogen phase (the resting phase of the hair follicle).marks, james g; miller, jeffery (2006). lookingbill and marks' principles of dermatology (4th ed.). elsevier inc. page 263. isbn 1-4160-3185-5.james, william; berger, timothy; elston, dirk (2005). andrews' diseases of the skin: clinical dermatology. (10th ed.). saunders. isbn 0-7216-2921-0. emotional or physiological stress may result in an alteration of the normal hair cycle and cause the disorder, with potential etiologies including eating disorders, fever, childbirth, chronic illness, major surgery, anemia, severe emotional disorders, crash diets, hypothyroidism, and drugs.freedberg, et al. (2003). fitzpatrick's dermatology in general medicine. (6th ed.). mcgraw-hill. isbn 0-07-138076-0. diagnostic tests, which may be performed to verify the diagnosis, include a trichogram, trichoscopy and biopsy. effluvium can present with similar appearance to alopecia totalis, with further distinction by clinical course, microscopic examination of plucked follicles, or biopsy of the scalp. histology would show telogen hair follicles in the dermis with minimal inflammation in effluvium, and dense peribulbar lymphocytic infiltrate in alopecia totalis. ==see also== *anagen effluvium *noncicatricial alopecia * list of cutaneous conditions vitamin d levels may also play a role in normal hair cycle. does d matter? the role of vitamin d in hair disorders and hair follicle cycling. dermatol online j. 2010 feb; 16(2). pmid 20178699 ==references==   
Conditions_of_the_skin_appendages Hair_disease Human_hair