Alopecia areata is not medically disabling; persons with alopecia areata are usually in excellent health. But emotionally, this disease can be challenging, especially for those with extensive hair loss.
▼ Description. Alopecia-mental retardation syndrome (APMR) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder in which affected individuals show loss of hair on the scalp, absence of eyebrows, eyelashes, and axillary and pubic hair, and mild to severe mental retardation (summary by Wali et al., 2007).
Disease at a Glance
An extremely rare genetic syndromic intellectual disability described in less than 20 families to date and characterized by total or partial alopecia associated with intellectual deficit.
Alopecia areata isn't usually a serious medical condition, but it can cause a lot of anxiety and sadness. Support groups are out there to help you deal with the psychological effects of the condition. If you lose all your hair, it could grow back.
How does alopecia areata affect daily life? For many people, hair is an important part of their appearance and self-image, and any type of hair loss can lower self-esteem and confidence. In alopecia areata, the unpredictable cycle of hair loss and regrowth can make the symptoms even more difficult to cope with.
“Alopecia Areata itself does not compromise the immune system or cause immune deficiency and there is no reason to think that people with Alopecia Areata are more at risk from COVID-19 than the general population, either in terms of catching the virus or being more severely affected by it.
Studies show that people with alopecia areata can have other autoimmune diseases, such as thyroid disease. However, the fact that you have alopecia areata doesn't mean you will automatically develop another autoimmune disease.
Causes of Alopecia Areata
In alopecia areata, the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, causing inflammation. Researchers do not fully understand what causes the immune attack on hair follicles, but they believe that both genetic and environmental (non-genetic) factors play a role.
Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is associated with significant cardiovascular risk factors that also have a negative impact on brain aging.
Alopecia areata can occur at any age but about half of cases come on in childhood and 80% of cases come on before the age of 40 years. Men and women are equally affected. The condition tends to be milder if it comes on at an older age.
A 20 percent rating is warranted if the disorder affects more than 40 percent of the scalp. Under Diagnostic Code 7831, for alopecia areata, a noncompensable rating is assigned with loss of hair limited to the scalp and face. A 10 percent rating is warranted with loss of all body hair.
Though the symptoms of alopecia areata typically do not cause physical pain, many people with the condition say that it causes emotional, or psychological, pain. This type of pain is as serious (and can feel the same) as physical pain and can lead to feelings of sadness, depression and anxiety.
Alopecia areata is more common among African Americans but less common among Asians, compared with whites, according to a new study involving registry data for more than 11,000 individuals.
Alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, including baldness, has been linked to a significantly increased risk for dementia, new research shows.
Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune disorder which causes hair loss. It has been previously reported that both alopecia disorders can have negative effects on quality of life.
The short answer is yes, stress can cause hair loss, or contribute to it. There are three types of hair loss that can be triggered (or made worse) by stress - telogen effluvium, alopecia areata and trichotillomania. Stress-related hair loss is often temporary, so it's unlikely your hair will be lost forever.
Biblical accounts of hair loss
The second mention of hair loss lies in Leviticus 13:40-41, which proclaims that “a man has lost his hair and he is bald, he is clean.
A variety of factors are thought to cause alopecia areata (al-o-PEE-she-uh ar-e-A-tuh), possibly including severe stress. With alopecia areata, the body's immune system attacks the hair follicles — causing hair loss.
On the AIP elimination diet, you will avoid grains, legumes, nightshades (such as potatoes and peppers), dairy, eggs, coffee, alcohol, sugar, oil and food additives. After a few months, you can work the excluded foods back in one at a time to figure out which foods trigger an inflammatory reaction.
Most people know alopecia to be a form of hair loss. However, what they don't always know is that there are three main types of the condition – alopecia areata, alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis.
The first sign of alopecia areata is often a round or oval bald patch on the scalp.
Answer: Alopecia areata and fatigue and cold intolerance
Suppression of adrenal gland function can lead to both fatigue and cold intolerance for example.
The disease is associated with increased risk of other autoimmune disorders (Table 2). Approximately, 12-16% of individuals with alopecia areata develop an autoimmune disease [29, 30].