People with autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and lupus, can experience hair loss as a troubling symptom of their disease. Other times though, the cause of the shedding locks could be the medications used to treat the disease.
Supplements. People taking methotrexate or leflunomide may benefit from taking folic acid and biotin supplements. These B vitamins can help protect against hair loss. Folic acid can also help relieve some of the other side effects that can occur with methotrexate.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease. This means that your immune system mistakenly attacks a part of your body. When you have alopecia areata, cells in your immune system surround and attack your hair follicles (the part of your body that makes hair).
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory condition that occurs when the immune system attacks the body's own healthy tissues and causes joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. In addition to these more common symptoms, some people with RA also experience scalp problems, including scalp itching, burning, or hair loss.
Treatment options for alopecia areata include: Corticosteroids: anti-inflammatory drugs that are prescribed for autoimmune diseases. Corticosteroids can be given as an injection into the scalp or other areas, orally (as a pill), or applied topically (rubbed into the skin) as an ointment, cream, or foam.
What is folliculitis decalvans? Folliculitis decalvans is a rare condition that causes ongoing (chronic) inflammation of your hair follicles and scalp. Over time, hair falls out and scarring occurs. The condition causes permanent hair loss with scarring (cicatricial alopecia).
It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it's more common in men. Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp. Hereditary hair loss with age is the most common cause of baldness.
Symptoms of Alopecia Areata
People with the disease are usually healthy and have no other symptoms. Alopecia areata typically begins with sudden loss of round or oval patches of hair on the scalp, but any part of the body may be affected, such as the beard area in men, or the eyebrows or eyelashes.
If your doctor suspects that an underlying medical condition may be the cause of hair loss, a blood test or scalp biopsy may be recommended. All of these diagnostic tests can be conducted in your dermatologist's office.
Hair loss can be caused by autoimmune inflammation in some cases, but there are many other potential causes that a rheumatologist must explore to treat the condition effectively.
Symptom of a medical illness — Hair loss can be one of the symptoms of a medical illness, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), syphilis, a thyroid disorder (such as hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism), a sex-hormone imbalance or a serious nutritional problem, especially a deficiency of protein, iron, zinc or ...
Early diagnosis and treatment with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and biologics can improve quality of life and life expectancy. The goal of RA treatment is to reduce pain and improve symptoms and quality of life.
To be effective at spurring hair regrowth, baricitinib must be taken every day. In some studies, patients who stopped taking the drugs daily saw hair shedding. “They work only when you use them—they don't cure the disease,” Piliang said.
Vitamin D deficiency is more common in RA patients and may be one of the causes leading to development or worsening of RA. In RA, as the disease activity increases, the serum Vitamin D levels tend to decrease.
The most common autoimmune hair disorder – Alopecia
In this case, the Hair Immunity privilege collapses and your immune cells attack the hair follicles. It also occurs when one is suffering from other autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, thyroid disorders and eczema-like skin conditions which are of similar nature.
Only riboflavin, biotin, folate, and vitamin B12 deficiencies have been associated with hair loss.
Thyroid hair loss often looks like a general thinning across your scalp or eyebrows. Thyroid hair loss might develop slowly; patients with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism notice a gradual thinning of their hair rather than localized bald spots or missing patches.
“Vitamins are essential for healthy hair growth and may help in preventing hair shedding and thinning,” says Michele Green, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist in New York. “The best vitamins for hair growth include B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin E, zinc, biotin and iron.
Vitamin B-
Vitamin B is one of the best-known vitamins to prevent hair loss and promote hair growth. It helps create red blood cells which carry oxygen and nutrients to the scalp and hair follicles.
The role of inflammation in hair loss
This condition is caused by the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes hair follicles to shrink, leading to hair loss. Studies have shown that chronic inflammation can cause an increase in DHT production, leading to hair follicle miniaturization and eventual hair loss (1).
Anti-inflammatory medication is the most common treatment for most forms of scarring alopecia. Anti-inflammatory medication fights the inflammatory cells causing hair follicle destruction. You might take a pill, such as hydroxychloroquine, or receive a corticosteroid injection, such as triamcinolone acetonide.