Alopecia areata is hair loss of unknown cause, characterized by round patches of complete baldness.
Alternative Names:
Alopecia totalis; Alopecia universalis
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
The specific cause of alopecia areata is unknown. A family history of alopecia is present in about a fifth of all cases. Alopecia areata is occasionally associated with autoimmune diseases.
Alopecia may also occur as alopecia totalis with complete loss of scalp hair or as alopecia universalis with total loss of all body hair.
Symptoms:
The primary symptom of alopecia areata is roundish patches of hair loss on the head, with smooth, hairless scalp in the affected areas. Alopecia totalis involves the complete loss of all scalp hair, and alopecia universalis is characterized by the complete loss of all scalp and body hair.
Hairs that look like exclamation points are sometime seen at the edges of a bald patch.
Review Date: 10/26/2006
Reviewed By: Michael S. Lehrer, M.D., Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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Hair Disorders
