Alopecia Areata, a condition in which hair falls out in small quarter-sized
patches, is thought to be auto-immune in origin, but what triggers it, causing
the body's white blood cell's to attack hair follicles, remains
uncertain. Although scientists suspect that the nearly 2 percent of
Americans who experience alopecia possess a combination of genes that
predispose them to the condition, they still have questions about the role
genes play.
Complicated Genetic Findings
Sometimes it appears that the more facts studies uncover, the less that is
understood and the more tangled the genetic web becomes. The following is
known:
- Alopecia is more likely to occur in families where
autoimmune conditions like lupus, thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes,
Addison's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis affect members.
- Yet while those who actually develop
alopecia typically do not have the above mentioned autoimmune
diseases, they often suffer from asthma, nasal allergies, and
atopic eczema.
- People with a close family member who had the disease
have a slightly higher risk of developing it, and if that relative started
losing hair before turning thirty, the risk increases.
- Unlike genetic conditions where if a parent has it, the
child will have a 50/50 chance of developing it, in the case of alopecia,
it seems that it is unlikely that such a child would inherit the
combination of genes that would pass it on to him. In fact, most parents
with alopecia do not have children with alopecia, and conversely children
who do have it do not have parents who did. Even if an
individual does have the right combination of genes, she only
has a 55% chance of suffering the effects of the disease as
found in studies involving identical twins, one of which developed the
disease while the other one didn't.
This last finding, complicated as it may sound, does point scientists in the
right direction. They need to find the missing piece of the puzzle. Given the
right combination of genes something triggers an attack on hair
follicles, but what is it? An environmental pollutant, stress, a virus?
All are possibilities.
Treatment for Alopecia
Alopecia does not hurt, and while it does cause the psychological pain
that comes from having one's hair fall out in patches, in most
cases, those experiencing it are otherwise generally healthy. Although
there is currently no cure for alopecia, a dermatologist Palo Alto can give
a victim a steroid shot or prescribe a topical steroidal cream to lessen the
autoimmune response.
As for the hair growing back, that is always a
possibility but even if it doesn't minoxidil, a topical treatment can
help restore a degree of temporary hair growth in 30% of patients.
