Causes
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss. This signifies that your immune system has misidentified a portion of your body and is attacking it. Your immune system surrounds and attacks your hair follicles when you have alopecia areata (the part of your body that makes hair). When a hair follicle is attacked, the connected hair falls out. Your immune system will target more hair follicles, resulting in increased hair loss.
It's crucial to note that, while this attack results in hair loss, the hair follicles are seldom destroyed.
This implies that you can regenerate your hair. It's more probable that your hair will recover on its own if you have less hair loss.
Can a lack of vitamin D lead to alopecia areata?
Vitamin D insufficiency has been discovered in persons with autoimmune disorders such multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Because alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition, researchers studied vitamin D levels in alopecia areata patients. Some persons were vitamin D deficient, whereas others were not. More study is needed to determine whether low vitamin D levels have a role in the development of this condition.
Who is affected by alopecia areata?
While everybody can get alopecia areata, certain people are at a higher risk than others. Those who are most prone to have it have the following characteristics:
- Alopecia areata in a close blood relative: It's believed that 10% to 20% of persons with alopecia areata have a family relation who has it. This number might be greater because many people try to disguise hair loss.
- People with asthma, hay fever, atopic dermatitis, thyroid illness, vitiligo, or Down syndrome are more prone to develop alopecia areata, according to research
A medicine called nivolumab has been used to treat cancer:
- While it's too soon to say if this significantly raises your risk, alopecia areata has emerged in a few cancer patients who had the medicine nivolumab (nye-VOL-you-mab).
- The medication is used to treat advanced lung cancer and melanoma. Hair loss normally starts after a few months of therapy.
- The hair loss is known as nivolumab-induced alopecia areata, and it's a positive indication. This form of hair loss indicates that the medication is functioning.
- A corticosteroid, which is applied to the bald patches, can be used to cure hair loss. It helps the hair to regenerate while the cancer therapy is still ongoing.
- Your race may also have an impact on your chances of developing alopecia areata. Researchers discovered that black and Hispanic nurses were more likely than non-Hispanic white nurses to have this condition in a big study.
Despite the fact that this study lasted several years, it contains a number of flaws. It exclusively looked at female nurses in the United States, for example. To find out if this discovery holds true for other people, more study is needed.
When did alopecia areata first appear?
Alopecia areata can strike at any age, although most people get it by the age of 30. For many people, the illness develops in infancy or adolescence. Alopecia areata usually appears before the age of 30. Alopecia areata usually appears in childhood or adolescence.
Is it possible to get rid of alopecia areata?
It is not curable, however it is possible to restore hair. For some people, regrowth will occur on its own. Because alopecia areata cannot be treated, persons who have regrowth may experience further hair loss in the future. Hair loss and regeneration occur in certain people in cycles.