Alopecia Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alopecia, including details on hair loss, baldness, treatment, causes, prevention.

Practical guidelines for evaluation of loose anagen hair syndrome.

Cantatore-Francis JL, Orlow SJ

Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA.

OBJECTIVES: To better categorize the epidemiologic profile, clinical features, and disease associations of loose anagen hair syndrome (LAHS) compared with other forms of childhood alopecia. DESIGN: Retrospective survey. SETTING: Academic pediatric dermatology practice. Patients Three hundred seventy-four patients with alopecia referred from July 1, 1997, to June 31, 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Epidemiologic data for all forms of alopecia were ascertained, such as sex, age at onset, age at the time of evaluation, and clinical diagnosis. Patients with LAHS were further studied by the recording of family history, disease associations, hair-pull test or biopsy results, hair color, laboratory test result abnormalities, initial treatment, and involvement of eyelashes, eyebrows, and nails. RESULTS: Approximately 10% of all children with alopecia had LAHS. The mean age (95% confidence interval) at onset differed between patients with LAHS (2.8 [1.2-4.3] years) vs patients without LAHS (7.1 [6.6-7.7] years) (P < .001), with 3 years being the most common age at onset for patients with LAHS. All but 1 of 37 patients with LAHS were female. The most common symptom reported was thin, sparse hair. Family histories were significant for LAHS (n = 1) and for alopecia areata (n = 3). In 32 of 33 patients, trichograms showed typical loose anagen hairs. Two children had underlying genetic syndromes. No associated laboratory test result abnormalities were noted among patients who underwent testing. CONCLUSIONS: Loose anagen hair syndrome is a common nonscarring alopecia in young girls with a history of sparse or fine hair. Before ordering extensive blood testing in young girls with diffusely thin hair, it is important to perform a hair-pull test, as a trichogram can be instrumental in the confirmation of a diagnosis of LAHS.

Published 20 October 2009 in Arch Dermatol, 145(10): 1123-8.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Alopecia published 15 September 2009:

Phase I/II randomized bilateral half-head comparison of topical bexarotene 1% gel for alopecia areata.   J Am Acad Dermatol, 61(4): 592.e1-9.

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata, hair loss caused by perifollicular T-cell infiltrates, is refractory to therapy. Bexarotene, a retinoid X receptor is a selective retinoid, induces T-cell apoptosis. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the safety, including the dose-limiting toxicities with adverse events, and efficacy, ie, response rate, of bexarotene in alopecia areata. METHODS: We conducted a phase I/II randomized, half-head trial of 1% bexarotene gel applied twice daily for 6 months. RESULTS: In ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

History of atopy or autoimmunity increases risk of alopecia areata.   J Am Acad Dermatol, 61(4): 581-91.

BACKGROUND: The association between a history of atopy or autoimmune diseases and risk of alopecia areata (AA) is not well established. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to use the National AA Registry database to further investigate the association between history of atopy or autoimmune diseases and risk of AA. METHODS: A total of 2613 self-registered sporadic cases (n = 2055) and controls (n = 558) were included in this analysis. RESULTS: Possessing a history of any atopic (odds ratio ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Alopecia secondary to mesotherapy.   J Am Acad Dermatol, 61(4): 707-9.

Mesotherapy has recently become an advertised method for the treatment of different types of alopecia despite the lack of any data regarding its efficacy and possible side effects. The substances injected into the scalp include "cocktails" of natural plant extracts, homoeopathic agents, vitamins, vasodilators, and drugs that may stimulate hair growth, such as finasteride and minoxidil. We report two cases of patchy alopecia that developed after mesotherapy for the treatment of ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Alopecia published 28 August 2009:

Centrifugal lipodystrophy of the scalp presenting with an arch-form alopecia: a 10-year follow-up observation.   J Dermatol, 36(9): 499-503.

We describe a 10-year follow-up observation of progressive arch-form alopecia caused by centrifugal lipodystrophy (CLD) in a Japanese boy. A 2.5-year-old boy developed a slightly depressed lesion demarcated by a horseshoe-shaped erythematous border on his right neck, which then extended to the scalp. Four years later, arch-form alopecia became apparent in the right temporal region along with an erythematous border. The arch-form alopecia gradually expanded centrifugally, leaving a slight ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Alopecia published 18 August 2009:

Recent positive selection of a human androgen receptor/ectodysplasin A2 receptor haplotype and its relationship to male pattern baldness.   Hum Genet, 126(2): 255-64.

Genetic variants in the human androgen receptor gene (AR) are associated with male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia, AGA) in Europeans. Previous observations of long-range linkage disequilibrium at the AR locus are consistent with the hypothesis of recent positive selection. Here, we further investigate this signature and its relationship to the AGA risk haplotype. The haplotype homozygosity suggests that the AGA risk haplotype was driven to high frequency by positive selection in ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Alopecia published 14 August 2009:

RIN2 deficiency results in macrocephaly, alopecia, cutis laxa, and scoliosis: MACS syndrome.   Am J Hum Genet, 85(2): 254-63.

Inherited disorders of elastic tissue represent a complex and heterogeneous group of diseases, characterized often by sagging skin and occasionally by life-threatening visceral complications. In the present study, we report on an autosomal-recessive disorder that we have termed MACS syndrome (macrocephaly, alopecia, cutis laxa, and scoliosis). The disorder was mapped to chromosome 20p11.21-p11.23, and a homozygous frameshift mutation in RIN2 was found to segregate with the disease phenotype in ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Alopecia published 7 August 2009:

Scarring alopecia: clinical and pathologic study of 54 African-American women.   Int J Dermatol, 48(8): 840-5.

BACKGROUND: Cicatricial or scarring alopecia results in the destruction of hair follicles and is a significant cosmetic concern in African-American women. OBJECTIVE: To correlate the clinical examination and histologic findings in African-American women with scarring alopecia with a history of hairstyling practices. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the medical records and scalp biopsy specimens of 54 women with scarring alopecia. Patients were selected from two dermatologic practices in the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Alopecia published 22 July 2009:

An update on alopecia areata.   Curr Opin Pediatr, 21(4): 475-80.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Alopecia areata is one of the most frequent organ-restricted autoimmune diseases, yet its pathogenesis is still unclear. In addition, although alopecia areata often results in significant psychological distress, effective treatment is lacking. RECENT FINDINGS: New potential susceptibility loci have been implicated, but the strongest evidence points to certain class II human leukocyte antigen alleles. There is new evidence for the collapse of hair follicle immune privilege as ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

© 2004-2010 Alopecia Research Today. All Rights Reserved.