Alopecia Areata

A person affected by Alopecia areata will have round patches of hair loss and the cause for this is still unknown. But it is known that this condition is heredity to certain extent and in some cases autoimmune diseases can cause Alopecia areata. Alopecia areata which can cause all, or much, of the hair on the head or body to fall out is thought to affect about two per cent of the population in some form, at some point in their lives. Some people only experience one small patch of hair loss, while others may have many large patches.

Alopecia areata is classified as an autoimmune disease - the result of the immune system's white blood cells attacking the fast-growing hair cells in the follicles. No-one knows what causes the white blood cells to do this. As a result, the follicles .

Types of Alopecia areata

Complete loss of scalp hair in a person is called Alopecia totalis and total loss of all body hair in a person is termed as Alopecia universalis.

Causes for Alopecia areata

It is known that abnormality in the immune system is the main cause for this condition. As certain tissues in the body are affected by immune system, similarly hair follicles are also affected.

Noticeable symptoms

You find people suffering from loss of all scalp and body hair, loss of scalp hair alone, roundish patches of hair loss on the head or smooth, hairless scalp in the affected areas.

Tests for Alopecia areata

In some cases, a biopsy of the scalp is done, whereas there are instances where several blood tests are conducted especially if the cause is autoimmune conditions. It is also diagnosed by exclamation point hair which is commonly found in areas of hair loss which can be easily noticed through a hand lens. Exclamation point hair means short, broken off hairs that are narrower closer to the scalp and appears more or less like an exclamation mark. Usually a biopsy of the scalp is also done as part of diagnosis.

Treatments given

No effective treatment is known so far. There are therapies done which includes steroid injection under the surface of the skin, topical corticosteroids, ultraviolet light therapy and so on.

Alopecia areata usually affects children, teens and young adults and rarely does it affect older people and toddlers. Remember, this is not contagious and most of the time it is confused with hair loss due to imbalance of hormones, pregnancy or intake of birth control pills.

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