Excessive temporary loss of telogen hair (hair in the telogen, or resting, phase) caused by trauma such as childbirth, surgery, starvation, certain drugs, and high fever. A normal human hair goes through 3 successive stages of growth:

• The growing, or anagen, stage is the predominant phase (80% to 90% of a person's hair is usually in the anagen phase). * A transitional, or catagen, stage. * Resting, or telogen, stage.