Original Article

The Association between Demodex Infestation and Hair Loss Severity in a Referred Patient Population

Abstract

Background: Hair follicle mites of the genus Demodex (Prostigmata: Demodicidae) are the most common external obligate parasites in humans, which reside in the eyelids, sebaceous glands, and ear canal, and can cause clinical dis­ease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible role of Demodex parasites in causing discomfort in pa­tients referred to Tehran laboratories due to hair loss.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 520 patients referred to a laboratory in Tehran, Iran, presenting with hair loss. Sampling was performed from the scalp and face, and samples were examined for Demodex mites using light microscopy.
Results: The results showed that among the 520 patients referred to the laboratory, 66.15% were infected with Demo­dex. Out of 344 positive cases, 83.43% were women and 16.57% were men. Among the affected patients aged between 7 and 70 years, most patients (59.01%) were in the age group of 25.4 to 39.2 years. A high prevalence of Demodex in­festation (66.15%) was found among patients with hair loss. 
Conclusion: Our findings establish a highly significant, direct correlation between the severity of hair loss and the den­sity of Demodex mite infestation (p< 0.001). We propose that high Demodex mite density is a significant contributory factor in the etiology of severe hair loss.

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Keywords
Mites Demodicosis Infestation Demodex Iran
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1.
Nasiri-Jahrodi A, Bakhshi H, Rajabzadeh R, Hosseinian-Khosroshahy K, Rokni HR, Barati M, Salehi M. The Association between Demodex Infestation and Hair Loss Severity in a Referred Patient Population. J Arthropod Borne Dis. 2025;.