Register for Hair Loss Can Underlie Internal Disease
AlopeciaMarch 19, 2001
2001 MAR 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Unexpected hair loss at any age can be devastating. Society places a high value on personal appearance, and hair is one of a person's most visible features. But while some people may initially view hair loss as a cosmetic problem, it could be a sign of a serious medical condition.
Speaking on March 2 at the American Academy of Dermatology's 2001 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, dermatologist Amy McMichael, MD, assistant professor, Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, discussed some of the serious internal diseases as well as diseases with drug side effects that are linked to hair disorders.
Diseases that cause alopecia, or hair loss, and are life-threatening include thyroid disease, chemotherapy, HIV/AIDS, lupus erythematosus, and severe illness of any kind.
Thyroid Disease. Hair loss can be a sign of both hyperthyroidism, an overactive thyroid, and hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid. In hyperthyroidism, scalp hair may be fine and soft with scattered alopecia. In hypothyroidism, head and body hair can become dry and coarse with scattered partial alopecia, madarosis (or loss of the lateral one-third of the eyebrows), or an increased percentage of telogen hairs, or shedding hairs.
Chemotherapeutic Agents. Although hair loss is usually transient and not permanent, it can often be the most traumatic part of chemotherapy. Hair loss is a noticeable side effect of cancer treatment and can cause changes in self-esteem and body image. Chemotherapeutic agents can cause hair cells to stop dividing. In some cases, patients can lose up to 90% of their scalp hair. When the cancer treatment ends, the hair will usually regrow. Common drugs that cause alopecia include methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, bleomycin, doxorubicin, mitomycin, cytarabine, vinblastine, and vincristine.
"There have been efforts to prevent hair loss during chemotherapy, such as cooling caps to reduce blood flow to the scalp," said McMichael. "Currently, there are Phase I and II trials in progress for drugs that affect the immune system and drugs that act on vitamin D receptors in mouse studies. But so far, all of these therapies are experimental at best."
HIV/AIDS. Patients infected with HIV may experience a number of common skin conditions that occur in healthy people as well. But as a result of their infection, these skin conditions in HIV infected patients can be more severe and more difficult to treat than in patients who are not infected with the virus. Hair disorders that can occur in HIV patients include trichomegaly (eyelash lengthening), alopecia areata (patches of hair loss or complete hair loss on the scalp), telogen effluvium (resting hair loss marked by scattered hair loss that occurs up to six months after a triggering event such as drugs or severe infection), progressive straightening of the hair, seborrheic dermatitis (a condition of the oil glands that causes scaling and redness), and psoriasis of the scalp.
Lupus Erythematosus. Lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by a rash and plaques that can be quite disfiguring to the patient. In a study of 73 patients with systemic lupus, 40% had non-scarring alopecia and 14% had scarring alopecia. In addition, telogen effluvium has long been observed during flares of this disease.
"As with almost any type of medical condition, hair loss can respond well to treatment if it is caught early enough," said McMichael. "But it is important to pay close attention to any changes in the hair's appearance or texture, as unexpected hair loss could be a sign of a serious medical condition. Seeing a dermatologist is the key to proper diagnosis and treatment for any type of hair loss." This article was prepared by Health & Medicine Week editors from staff and other reports.
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