Alopecia Areata

A common condition with scary name and unpleasant results, alopecia areata (pronounced al-oh-PEE-shah air-ee-AH-tah, according to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, or NAAF) is at root an autoimmune disorder that leads to hair loss not just on the scalp but also in other areas of the body. It is estimated that nearly 2 percent of the overall population may suffer from alopecia areata, a figure that includes the 5 million Americans estimated to suffer from alopecia areata disease.

While alopecia areata can strike anyone at any time, its onset occurs most frequently in childhood. Alopecia areata causes considerable stress for those who develop it, but especially for children facing its unpredictability. Just what is alopecial areata? In simple terms, it’s easiest to say that the disease stems from attacks on the hair follicles by a sufferers’ own immune system. The attacks stop hair growth, which can lead to, at first, one or more bald patches. In severe cases, it can lead to the inability to grow hair all over the body. Alopecia areata pictures show everything from a single small hole in the hairline to total baldness, sometimes known as diffuse alopecia areata.

The hair loss is not always permanent, however. Hair re-growth can occur spontaneously or as a result of alopecia areata treatment, and—on the flip side—hair loss can recur without warning. The reversal effects on alopecia areata represent a subsiding of symptoms, not a permanent cure.

Approved alopecia areata pills enumerated on the NAAF website include only one option: Corstisone. Much more powerful as a pill than as an injection, Cortisone pills are not used as often due to potential side effects.

Female alopecia areata can be especially devastating, making the need for solid alopecia areata information crucial for not only sufferers of the disease but also medical professionals and the general public. Alopecia areata new info should come out of some of the studies currently underway on the condition.

The condition occurs not just in humans but also in animals. Feline alopecia areata can occur, and alopecia areata in dachshunds and other dog breeds is also relatively common. Causes and treatment of alopecia areata in dachshunds and other pets are believed to be similar to that for humans.