Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks the hair follicles, resulting in patches of hair loss, and in some cases, total baldness. The disease can affect both men and women, and can develop at any age. Hair loss typically occurs on the scalp, but can also affect facial and body hair. Patients with the disease can face significant emotional and psychological stress as a result.

Hair loss is often distressing and can have a significant effect on the patient's quality of life. Patients may present to their family physician first with diffuse or patchy hair loss. Scarring alopecia is best evaluated by a dermatologist. Nonscarring alopecia can be readily diagnosed and treated in the family physician's office. Androgenetic alopecia can be diagnosed clinically and treated with minoxidil. Alopecia areata is diagnosed by typical patches of hair loss and is self-limited. Tinea capitis causes patches of alopecia that may be erythematous and scaly and must be treated systemically.   

Telogen effluvium is a nonscarring, noninflammatory alopecia of relatively sudden onset caused by physiologic or emotional stress. Once the precipitating cause is removed, the hair typically will regrow. Trichotillomania is an impulse-control disorder; treatment is aimed at controlling the underlying psychiatric condition. Trichorrhexis nodosa occurs when hairs break secondary to trauma and is often a result of hair styling or overuse of hair products. Anagen effluvium is the abnormal diffuse loss of hair during the growth phase caused by an event that impairs the mitotic activity of the hair follicle, most commonly chemotherapy. Physician support is especially important for patients in this situation.

The history and physical examination are often sufficient to determine a specific etiology for hair loss. It is convenient to divide the various causes into focal (patchy) and diffuse etiologies, and proceed accordingly. Patchy hair loss is often due to alopecia areata, tinea capitis, and trichotillomania. Diffuse hair loss is commonly due to telogen or anagen effluvium. Androgenetic alopecia may be diffuse or in a specific pattern, and may progress to complete baldness.

The physical examination should focus on the hair and scalp, but attention should be given to physical signs of any comorbid disease indicated by the review of systems. If only the scalp is involved, the physician should look for typical male or female pattern to determine the presence of androgenetic alopecia. Whole body hair loss is consistent with alopecia totalis. Dry, broken hair suggests trichorrhexis nodosa, whereas scaling, pustules, crusts, erosions, or erythema and local adenopathy suggest infection.

The pull test may be used to diagnose hair loss conditions. The examiner grasps approximately 40 to 60 hairs at their base using the thumb, index, and middle fingers and applies gentle traction away from the scalp. A positive result is when more than 10% of hairs (four to six) are pulled from the scalp; this implies active hair shedding and suggests a diagnosis of telogen effluvium, anagen effluvium, or alopecia areata. However, a negative test result does not necessarily exclude those conditions. The pull test is difficult to standardize because the pulling force is not distributed uniformly and because it is difficult to approximate the number of hairs grasped, thereby leading to false interpretations.

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Anabell Rose

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Hair Therapy & Transplantation