Alopecia totalis

MEDICAL EDITOR

Prab R. Tumpati, MD — Editor-in-Chief, WikiMD Medical Encyclopedia
Internal medicine • Obesity medicine • Sleep medicine
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Alopecia totalis
File:AlopeciaTotalis.jpg
Synonyms
Pronounce	N/A
Specialty	N/A
Symptoms	Complete loss of scalp hair
Complications	Psychological stress, social anxiety
Onset	Can occur at any age
Duration	Long-term
Types
Causes	Autoimmune disease
Risks	Family history of alopecia areata or other autoimmune conditions
Diagnosis	Clinical evaluation, trichoscopy
Differential diagnosis	Alopecia areata, Alopecia universalis, Telogen effluvium
Prevention	None
Treatment	Corticosteroids, immunotherapy, topical minoxidil
Medication
Prognosis	Variable; some may experience regrowth, others may not
Frequency	Rare
Deaths	N/A

Alopecia totalis (AT) is a condition characterized by the complete loss of hair on the scalp. It is an advanced form of alopecia areata a condition that causes round patches of hair loss.

Other Names:

Loss of all scalp hair

Cause

Although the exact cause of AT is unknown, it is thought to be an autoimmune condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles. Roughly 20% of affected people have a family member with alopecia, suggesting that genetic factors may contribute to the development of AT.

Symptoms

For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. 80%-99% of people have these symptoms

• Alopecia of scalp(Pathologic hair loss from scalp)

Treatment

There is currently no cure for AT, but sometimes hair regrowth occurs on it's own, even after many years. Methotrexate and corticosteroids are proposed treatments.

Scalp cooling has specifically been used to prevent alopecia in docetaxel chemotherapy, although it has been found prophylactic in other regimens as well. Treatment effects may take time to resolve, with one study showing breast cancer survivors wearing wigs up to 2 years after chemotherapy.

• File:Alopecia areata head.jpg
• File:Jonny eyebrows.jpg
• File:Skin Diseases of Children Fig 4 (page 21 crop).jpg

NIH genetic and rare disease info

• NIH info on Alopecia totalis

Alopecia totalis is a rare disease.