Alopecia Areata
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What is Alopecia areata
- Alopecia means loss of hair. Alopecia areata is a type of localised hair loss which is typically seen as bald patches.
- It may affect any hairy area of the body. It affect males and females equally.
- In majority of cases hair regrows after several months.
- It does not affect the general health of the person.
What are the causes of Alopecia areata?
- Alopecia areata is considered to be an autoimmune disease. This occur when the body’s own immune system damages its healthy cells.
- In Alopecia areata, white blood cells gather around the affected hair roots(hair follicle). This causes inflammation which leads to hair loss.
- Genetics, atopy and environmental factors play a role.
- It is not a hereditary condition.
How does Alopecia areata manifest?
- It typically occurs as one or more bald patches on the scalp.
- It can affect any hairy area of body. Hair loss may be seen on the scalp, beard, moustache,eyebrows, eyelashes or body hair may also be lost.
- Scalp is the most common site affected in 90% of the cases. Apart from the bald patches, the scalp usually looks healthy and there is no scarring.
- The bald patches are round in shape and the size of a coin.
- The nails may be affected in about 1 in 10 cases of alopecia areata; there may be pitting or ridging on the nails.
What is the course of the disease?
- It difficult to predict the progress of a bald patch of alopecia areata.
- Usually the hair regrows within a few months. Initially it is grey or white in colour and normal colour returns after several months.
- At times, one or more bald patches develop a few weeks after the first one. Large bald patches can also develop.
- Sometimes, the entire scalp hair is lost. This is called alopecia totalis.
- In a small number of cases, all scalp hair, body hair, beard, eyebrows and eyelashes are lost. This is called alopecia universalis.
