| Alopecia Areta |
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Alopecia Areta is a condition that occurs when there is a loss of hair on the scalp or body. It only affects about one percent and most of those are children. According to various doctors it\'s an autommune disease in which hair follicles are attacked by WBC from the immune system, thus limited them from producing hair. This leaves the loss of hair on the scalp which we see. This isn\'t something that many children handle very well so caution must be taken when treating or talking to children about it. There are different types of Alopecia areta and they are multilovularis, barbe,totalis, monolocularis, universalis, and diffuse alopecia areata.
Causes, Signs, And Symptoms Of Alopecia Areta
Being an autoimmune disease means it\'s not considered very contagious so the spread of it is virtually non-existent. As far as the cause for this it\'s not known, but many doctors think it could be genetic factors that play a part in it. This would explain why such a small amount of children actually get it. The signs on the onset are real small usually patches the size of a small coin. This happens on the scalp, but can also be seen in eyelashes, eyebrows, and even beards. This isn\'t a very serious disease, but they can have the risk of having the following asthma, stopic, allergies. This disease isn\'t deadly, but it can lead to other things that is more serious so that\'s why it\'s important to look very carefully at it so these things can\'t be a problem in the future.
Diagnosis
Since it usually occurs in the late teenage years and can with almost people of all ages. It doesn\'t discriminate so everyone could get it depending on many different factors. Doctors really haven\'t been able to pin down the exact factor though so much more research needs to be done in that area. Along with the hair fingernails are the other thing that can be affected. Tinea capitis and trichotillomania are two other hair loss types that are closely associated to alopecia areta. Knowing the difference is tough and this is why seeing your doctor is probably best so you can be diagnosis properly.
Treatment
As far as treatment goes for alopecia aretea there really is none. There are treatments that will promote hair growth and new patches of hair in certain situations. Anthralin is a substance that looks like a tar that will alter the immune system which will affect the skin. After it is applied it needs to be washed off within 20 minutes so no damage can be done.
Corticosteroids are drugs that are taken as pills and can be given in the form of injections. These are used in the areas where the hair loss happens. One other treatment that has shown great promise is topical minoxidil 5% solution.. This solution is applied to the scalp to help promote hair growth and seems to work well. The results have shown that hair can start to grown in around 12 weeks so this is a promising treatment that is working.
Overview
Alopecia areata is a disease that causes hair loss by affecting the immune system and causes areas of your body not to grow hair. When this happens patches of hair will come up missing usually in the scalp area. This disease only affects around 1 percent of the population, but mostly attacks children. No known cure is available and many doctors think it could be genetic factors behind it. Only time will tell if that is the truth though. With the majority of people being affected children this brings up many different issues. Children are usually happy go lucky, but getting this disease can make them look different to their peers at school which can make it tougher to fit in. Social issues are the biggest thing that they will need to overcome. |
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