illnesses that cause hair loss

List of diseases that cause hair loss...

What diseases cause hair loss?

Although we often think that hair loss can be related to age and the passage of time, there are numerous diseases that cause hair loss. We review all diseases, their causes and how to fix them.

Alopecia areata

It is a disease with an autoimmune basis, that is, the body's own defenses attack the hair follicles. When white blood cells attack hair follicles, they interrupt hair growth, causing hair loss.

Alopecia areata occurs more frequently in children and young adults. The cause of the disease is unknown, but it is easily detected when perceiving “patches” on the head, clean of hair. It also causes hair loss in any other area, including that of the eyelashes, eyebrows and facial hair.

Lupus

It is an autoimmune disease. Those who are born with a susceptibility to develop it needs an environmental trigger to make it sprout. For example, sun exposure, an infection, or hormonal changes (such as occurs with pregnancy).

Lupus affects many different systems and organs in the body, creating a wide variety of symptoms. In addition to being one of the diseases that cause hair loss, lupus also causes fatigue, headache or joint pain, anemia and abnormal blood clotting.

Diabetes mellitus 1 and 2

People with this disease often have higher than normal blood sugar levels. This excess interacts with red blood cells so that they are synthesized in a compound called glycated hemoglobin. Thus, this modified compound, in turn, causes a deformation in the red blood cells and makes them more rigid than normal, so that they get stuck between the walls of the vessels. This is how circulation and vascular problems develop. If this process occurs in the capillaries that supply blood to the hair follicles, they could be weakened (by not receiving nutrients), which also leads to hair loss or alopecia.

On the other hand, when high blood sugar occurs, the person is more exposed to bacterial and fungal infections, which greatly weaken the scalp and also destroy hair follicles.

Iron deficiency anemia

In iron-deficiency anemia, a decreased count in the number of red blood cells (hemoglobin) is shown. When a diet lacks iron-rich foods or if they are not properly absorbed, this picture arises. However, blood loss, illness, and pregnancy can also act as causes of anemia.

If you lose hair or notice that it is not growing at the rate or with the length it used to, it is recommended that you perform a blood test to determine ferritin and hemoglobin levels. These two parameters help detect iron deficiency anemia. As soon as treatment is started, generally based on oral iron supplementation, hair grows back as it did previously.

Tub

Hair loss is a clear symptom of this disease, caused by fungi of the genera Microsporum and Trichophyton. It is frequently accompanied by peeling on the scalp, with a change in color, characterized by the gray tone. The disease usually causes bald patches that are very itchy. It is very contagious and causes severe inflammation, so you should go to a professional as soon as it is detected.

More sensitive or painful areas also appear in this disease. Hair can easily come off and become very brittle. Treatment is based on antifungal drugs, in order to stop the infection.

Other diseases or causes of hair loss

Telogen effluvium

It is detected by a diffuse form of hair loss, in which an abnormal number of hair follicles quickly go into the telogen stage (the "resting" phase in which hair does not grow) and do not shed until several months later. No inflammatory signs or miniaturization of observed follicles are perceived.

People with this disease complain about hair loss while washing or combing. It may be due to high fever, bleeding, surgery, trauma, shock, medication intake, crash diets, malabsorption (of protein, vitamins, iron, or zinc), and endocrine imbalance.

HIV and Syphilis

Also, some diseases that cause hair loss are sexually transmitted. HIV infection, or the second phase of syphilis, can lead to hair loss. However, it is a not so obvious symptom, since it does not manifest itself in all people.

Postpartum

Furthermore, there are several physiological conditions that lead to hair loss. For example, postpartum effluvium causes hair loss in women.

In short, the list would be really long when it comes to detailing the diseases that cause hair loss. For these types of situations, it is most recommended that you go to a dermatological hair clinic that has doctors who can make a first assessment.