ABOUT ALOPECIA

Alopecia is a non-scarring, inflammatory disease in which there is complete hair loss. Alopecia may affect men, women and children alike. The word "Alopecia" is the medical term for hair loss. Alopecia does not refer to one specific hair loss disease -- any form of hair loss is an Alopecia. Although this is not a life threatening disease, Alopecia often has severe psychological and sociological implications, as at times the condition can result in complete hair loss and cause disfigurement.

Although the autoimmune theory is more widely accepted as the underlying mechanism in alopecia areata, it is believed that other factors may contribute to it or act as triggers. Genetic susceptibility is the only known risk factor and the autoimmune disturbance is therefore inherited. However, other contributing factors that have not as yet clearly been identified as risk factors may also play a role. This includes :

Other autoimmune disorders, like thyroiditis, myasthenia gravis and vitiligo.
Atopic dermatitis and a history of atopy, which may include allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis
Down syndrom
Diabetes mellitu
Psychiatric conditions ranging from depression and other mood disorders to personality and paranoid disorders. Compulsive hair pulling (trichotillomania) needs to be identified in these scenarios
Emotional stress associated with grief and anxiety.

WHAT KIND OF SYMPTOMS WILL I HAVE WITH ALOPECIA?

The only sign of Alopecia is often sudden hair loss. The patches of hair loss can grow larger. Sometimes, the patches grow larger and become one large bald spot.

Other signs that you may have Alopecia include:

Gray and white hairs often remain where you have hair loss
Hair starts to regrow on its own where it fell out
Hair begins growing in a bald spot and starts falling out in another area
Hair loss occurs during a colder month of the year

If you have Alopecia, it generally doesn’t cause pain or other symptoms. However, some people say that right before they lose their hair, they feel tingling, itching, or burning on the skin where the hair will fall out. If you have Alopecia Universalis, which causes complete loss of hair everywhere on your body, your nails can become extremely brittle and crack. This can be painful.

WHO IS AFFECTED BY ALOPECIA?

Alopecia tends to occur most often in adults 30 to 60 years of age. However, it can also affect older individuals and, rarely, young children.

Alopecia is not contagious.

It may appear at any age, but most typically begins during childhood.

A family history of Alopecia and/or of other autoimmune disease

are present in 10–25% of patients.

WHEN DOES ALOPECIA USUALLY BEGIN?

Alopecia hair loss can occur at any age and affects all races and genders. However, most cases occur before the age of 30. For this reason, Alopecia is often associated with children and teens. Alopecia can also reoccur after alopecia regrowth. For many people recurring cases of Alopecia are something they struggle with for the rest of their lives. For other people, the condition never returns after alopecia regrowth.

CAN I PASS IT ONTO MY CHILDREN?

It is possible for Alopecia to be inherited. However, most children with Alopecia do not have a parent with the disease, and the vast majority of parents with alopecia do not pass it along to their children. Alopecia is not like some genetic diseases in which a child has a 50-50 chance of developing the disease if one parent has it. Scientists believe that there may be a number of genes that predispose certain people to the disease. It is highly unlikely that a child would inherit all of the genes needed to predispose him or her to the disease.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT NEXT?

The course of Alopecia is highly unpredictable, and the uncertainty of what will happen next is probably the most difficult and frustrating aspect of the disease. You may continue to lose hair, or your hair loss may stop. The hair you have lost may or may not grow back, and you may or may not continue to develop new bare patches.