Alopecia areata

Introduction Spotted baldness, commonly known as "ghost shaving", is a sudden onset of patchy alopecia hair. The scalp is normal in the lesion, and there is no inflammation or self-conscious symptoms. The course of the disease is slow and can be relieved and relapsed. If the entire scalp hair falls off, it is called full bald. If all the hair in the body is shed, it is called baldness. The disease has a certain relationship with immune imbalance and sudden increase in pressure. The disease is associated with qi and blood deficiency, liver and kidney deficiency, and blood stasis. When it is blood, it is difficult to get blood, and the roots are not needed to be raised. Therefore, the hair is frozen into pieces; the liver is stored in the blood, the kidney is in the essence, and the lack of blood is the source of no growth; Hair loss.

Cause

The current cause is still unclear. Neuropsychiatric factors are considered to be an important factor. Many cases have neuropsychiatric trauma such as long-term anxiety, anxiety, nervousness and emotional upset before the onset of illness. Sometimes these mental factors can make the condition worse in patients during the course of the disease.

In recent years, studies on alopecia areata have been associated with the following factors:

Genetic allergy

About 10% to 20% of cases have a family history. Reported single-oval twins also developed alopecia areata in the same site. There are also reports of alopecia areata in 4 generations. It is considered that genetically deficient diseases are seen from clinically accumulated diseases. People with a genetically allergic constitution are prone to alopecia areata. In the United States, 18% of children with alopecia areata have eczema or asthma or both. Adult alopecia areata accounts for about 9%. The proportion of children with total baldness is higher, accounting for 23%. Japanese alopecia areata patients with genetic allergies account for 10%, and the Netherlands is as high as 52.4%. However, the basis for establishing genetic allergies in the Netherlands is to include positive skin tests and family history of genetic allergies. Therefore, the diagnostic criteria for genetic allergies vary from country to country and the data cannot be compared.

Autoimmune

The proportion of patients with baldness with some autoimmune diseases is higher than that of the normal population, such as 0 to 8% with thyroid disease, and 4% for vitiligo (only 1% for normal people). In the alopecia areata patients, there are different reports on autoantibodies, and some have said that they are not found.

3.Down syndrome

The incidence of alopecia areata in Down syndrome is often alopecia or alopecia. The presence of autoantibodies in these patients has increased significantly.

It is not yet certain that alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease but it can be associated with autoimmune diseases, and it is effective for corticosteroids, suggesting that it tends to be autoimmune.

an examination

Related inspection

Immunopathological examination of smear testosterone

First, physical examination

Taking a medical history gives us a first impression and revelation, and also guides us to a concept of the nature of the disease.

Second, laboratory inspection

Laboratory examinations must be summarized and analyzed based on objective data learned from medical history and physical examination, from which several diagnostic possibilities may be proposed, and further consideration should be given to those examinations to confirm the diagnosis.

Differential diagnosis

According to the sudden onset, round or oval hair loss, the scalp in the hair loss area is normal and not difficult to diagnose. Alopecia areata should be identified as follows:

White

Incompletely removed, the hair is mostly broken, and the residual hair roots are not easily pulled out, with scales attached. It is easy to find mold in the break. Occurs in children.

2. syphilitic baldness

Although it is also plaque-like baldness, the hair is not scarred, but the edges are irregular and worm-like. Hair loss in the hair loss area is not complete, the number is large, and it occurs on the back side. With other symptoms of syphilis, syphilis serology is positive.

3. Pseudo-alopecia areata

The scalp of the affected area is atrophied, smooth and shiny, and the hair follicle opening is not visible. There is no thick and thin hair loss at the edge of the patch.

Lymphocyte infiltration around the hair follicle and the lower part can invade the hair follicle wall and have denaturation of hair matrix cells. In the hair follicles that have fallen off hair, new bristles may be formed to form new long hairs lacking pigmentation. Late hair follicles, hair bulbs, and their dermal papillas all move up and down. The surrounding matrix is significantly reduced, and there is thrombosis in the blood vessels of the surrounding connective tissue. The number of hair follicles also decreased over time, and cell infiltration was not obvious at this time.

The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments.