What is patchy hair loss?
- Common causes of acute patchy hair loss
- It can sometimes occur on hair in other areas of the body, such as eyebrows, mustaches.
- The disease is caused by inflammation under the scalp. This inflammation does not permanently damage hair follicles.
The disease subsides and hair or hair can grow back. The disease can be categorized according to its location and severity as follows:
- Alopecia areata (AA): Patches of hair loss on the head or patches of hair loss on the eyebrows. mustache on the face or body
- Alopecia totalis (AT): All the hair on the head is lost.
- Alopecia universalis (AU): Hair on the head and body hair such as armpits, pubic hair, all fall out.
The disease is not life threatening. But it affects the beauty quite a lot. Therefore, it can cause psychological effects, especially in alopecia universalis, which is the most severe of the disease. and are often least responsive to various treatments
Who has this disease?
- Can occur in both males and females equally
- The average age is regarding 30 years.
- The disease can occur at any age. The average incidence is 1 in 1000 people, or regarding 2%.
Symptoms of this disease?
- Patients will have patchy hair loss, round shape, clear boundaries, may occur in many locations.
- Most often occur within a few weeks. Most patients will not have any symptoms. But there may be itching or burning before in the area where the disease will occur. This disease usually occurs in the head area.
- can occur at other locations In bodies that can have hair (eyebrows, eyelashes, mustaches, armpits, or pubic hair), short stubble breaks may occur. Can be attached to the scalp at the edge of the expanding lesion. This is because the newly created hair becomes brittle and deformed.
- This disease may be acute or gradual. Some patients may also have nail abnormalities. The symptoms in which the nails may be preceded, concurrent, or following hair loss can occur. The most common nail abnormalities are small holes. on the surface of the nail plate
Cause of patchy hair loss?
- The exact cause is not yet known. But there is an immune system that is malfunctioning to destroy hair follicles.
- If the disease has subsided, the hair follicles can still regenerate normally. Diseases that may be found in conjunction with alopecia areata are thyroid inflammation, vitiligo, or allergic groups.
- 20 percent of patients with patchy hair loss There will be a family history of this disease as well.
- Medical experts believe that genetic factors may be involved in the occurrence of this disease Direct relatives with someone in the home with the disease may be at a slightly higher risk of developing the disease.
Reference : Siriraj Online
