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Finding Out More About Alopecia Areata,
Alopecia Totalis And Alopecia Universalis
By Gary Moyle
Alopecia is a general term referring to hair loss which usually
affects the scalp. However there are many different types of
Alopecia, all with different effects on the body and that require
different treatments. This article focuses on some of the most rapid
and devastating types of Alopecia, namely Alopecia Areata, Alopecia
Totalis and Alopecia Universalis.
So how prevalent are these types of Alopecia? Well according to the
National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) these common but very
challenging diseases affect approximately 1.7 percent of the
population overall, including more than 4.7 million people in the
United States alone. A figure of close to a million has recently
been suggested for the United Kingdom population alone and as we can
see it’s a lot more common than we think.
These three types of Alopecia result in very different types of hair
loss and it is important to be able to distinguish between them. The
term Alopecia Areata is used to describe hair loss occurring in
patches anywhere on the body however this condition almost always
occurs on the scalp. Alopecia Totalis refers to total loss of the
hair on the scalp and Alopecia Universalis, the most extreme form of
Alopecia results in complete loss of all hair on the body.
The most current medical studies have concluded that these three
types of Alopecia are caused by an abnormality in the immune system.
The result is the immune system attacks particular tissues of the
body. In Alopecia Areata, for as yet unknown reasons, the body's own
immune system, attacks the hair follicles and disrupts normal hair
growth.
There has been no scientific evidence to show that the disease is
caused by nerves or stress and it has become obvious that the
condition isn’t a classic nervous disorder. Alopecia sufferers’ have
no control over when attacks of Alopecia will strike and it is this
totally unpredictable nature of the disease that makes it so hard to
deal with.
These forms of Alopecia have no major physical side effects and if
sufferers are living a healthy lifestyle, eat well and don’t smoke
they will probably be in very good health. The only noticeable side
affect with Alopecia is a stippling on the nails in some people,
similar to tiny dents or scratches and although a small amount of
people have nails that are severely distorted this is rare. Other
reports of side effects include itching around the areas of hair
loss during the initial hair loss phase however this resides as time
goes by.
With regards to whether Alopecia is a hereditary condition,
sometimes Alopecia can occur within family members, suggesting a
role of genes and heredity. In fact about 25% of people with
alopecia have a family history of the disorder.
According to the NAAF if an adult over the age of thirty develops
the condition then the risk of passing the condition on to another
family member is reduced, however as most alopecia sufferers are
children and young adults the risk is increased. Despite the
increased risk only one in five sufferers’ has other family members
with the disease.
Regarding treatment of these types of Alopecia it is widely
recognised that there is no known cure for the disease but the good
news is that hair growth can be stimulated by several treatments and
can even occur after several years of extensive hair loss. Its
unpredictable nature can even lead to spontaneous re-growth without
treatment.
About the Author: This article should give you a good understanding
of Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis. If
you would like to find out more about what treatments are available
for any of these types of Alopecia visit
http://www.help4alopecia.com. Gary Moyle has been living
with Alopecia for over 25 years and been writing about health
matters for over 10 years. Gary designed and produced one of the
internet’s best Alopecia websites.
Source:
www.isnare.com |
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