Alopecia Areata
Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune
disease of the hair follicles that stop the growth
of hair and causes the hair to fall out in patches.
It can attack any area of the body, but most commonly
attacks the scalp, and is often associated with other
autoimmune diseases. Alopecia Areata can develop at
any age with the primary symptom being the loss of
hair in round or oval patches on the body or scalp.
There are different categories of Alopecia depending
on the areas affected and the amount of hair loss
involved.
Diffuse Alopecia Areata:
More of a general “thinning”
of the hair across the scalp
Alopecia Areata Monolocularis:
Baldness in only one spot anywhere on the
scalp
Alopecia Areata Multilocularis:
Hair loss over multiple areas
Alopecia Areata Barbae:
Limited to only the facial hair (beard)
Alopecia Areata Totalis:
Hair loss of the entire head/scalp –
very rare
Alopecia Areata Universalis:
Total loss of hair over the entire body (including
pubic hair) – very rare
There are suspicions that Alopecia Areata can be
triggered by stress, environmental factors and may
be combined with hereditary factors.
Symptoms:
Itchy skin
Pitting in the nails
Unusual hair loss in large patches
Yellowing and thickening of the nails
Diagnosis:
Diagnosis is usually made by a visual examination
of the areas, and a skin biopsy can also be used to
rule out other conditions. There are no blood tests
that can conclusively diagnose Alopecia Areata.
Treatment:
For mild cases, no treatment may be needed and the
condition may clear up on it's own. More severe cases
may require topical creams or injections of Clobetasol
or Fluocinonide for treatment.
Oral Corticosteroids may also be used in short doses
during severe hair loss episodes, but this is rarely
used for the treatment of Alopecia.
Prognosis:
In most cases, Alopecia clears up on it's own, hair
grows back within a year and there's never a recurrence
of the hair loss. In other cases, Alopecia may be
a recurring condition with periods where the hair
grows back and then falls out again (remissions and
relapses). People suffering from Alopecia live full,
normal lives, but because it does impact them cosmetically,
support is very important.
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