Hair loss is the hallmark symptom of alopecia areata. The disorder is disruptive, can affect any age group and it occurs suddenly without warning. The hair loss can consist of patches on the scalp or affect the whole body. The fingernails are also affected in some cases. According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, 4.7 million people are affected by the disorder in the United States.
What is Alopecia?
Affecting 2 percent of the population, alopecia's symptoms are hair loss, sometimes with fingernail damage. Starting on the scalp, small round patches of baldness develop. This may be the extent of the hair loss, or progression to total baldness may occur. Predicting the course of the disease is difficult as hair may fall out and grow back in cycles of varying lengths of time, according to the National Alopecia Areata Foundaton.
Causes
Heredity may be a cause of alopecia, as one in five who have it also have a family member with the condition. Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder and is not contagious. The body's immune system attacks the hair follicles causing the signature hair loss. It is unclear what triggers the problem, notes the American Academy of Dermatology.
Nail Changes
Along with hair loss, fingernail changes occur in 10 to 66 percent of cases. Alopecia causes keratin, which makes the nails hard, to be formed unevenly, leaving pits in the nails. Brittle nails that split and peel are seen with alopecia. In those severely affected, the nail can separate from the nail bed or the edges may turn up, giving the nails a concave appearance. The severity of the nail problems often parallels the severity level of the hair loss. All the fingernails may be affected by these changes or only some nails may change.
Types
Alopecia shows up differently in everyone. The type of hair loss most often seen is round, coin-sized bald patches. All of the hair on the scalp is lost in 5 percent of cases, in a condition known as alopecia totalis. Alopecia universalis, in which all hair on the body is lost, is rare with less than 1 percent of alopecia sufferers affected. Scalp hair may thin considerably in some cases, which is known as Alopecia areata incognita, according to DermNet NZ.
Treatment
There are no reliable treatments for alopecia, but the good news is that hair often grows back by itself. Injections of cortisone into the area of hair loss are sometimes helpful with regrowth. Immunotherapy is carried out by provoking contact dermatitis in the affected area with an allergen, and has shown some success. Ultraviolet light has been tried with variable success, reports DermNetNZ. Some find the best choice is to accept the hair loss and display a hair-free head or take advantage of the realistic and stylish wigs available.
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