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.

Diffuse hair loss: its triggers and management.

Harrison S, Bergfeld W

Department of Dermatology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.

Diffuse hair loss can affect both sexes at any age. Anything that interrupts the normal hair cycle can trigger diffuse hair loss. Triggers include a wide variety of physiologic or emotional stresses, nutritional deficiencies, and endocrine imbalances. Loss of telogen-phase hairs is the most common. Hair loss during the anagen phase is usually caused by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Finding the cause, or trigger, of the hair loss requires a thorough history and examination and will enable appropriate treatment. Patient education is key in the management of diffuse hair loss.

Published 2 June 2009 in Cleve Clin J Med, 76(6): 361-7.
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Articles on Alopecia published 23 April 2009:

Association of HTRA1 mutations and familial ischemic cerebral small-vessel disease.   N Engl J Med, 360(17): 1729-39.

BACKGROUND: The genetic cause of cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CARASIL), which is characterized by ischemic, nonhypertensive, cerebral small-vessel disease with associated alopecia and spondylosis, is unclear. METHODS: In five families with CARASIL, we carried out linkage analysis, fine mapping of the region implicated in the disease, and sequence analysis of a candidate gene. We also conducted functional analysis of wild-type and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Alopecia published 16 April 2009:

Scarring alopecia and the PPAR-gamma connection.   J Invest Dermatol, 129(5): 1066-70.

The pathobiology of primary cicatricial ("scarring") alopecia (PCA) remains poorly understood and underinvestigated. In this issue, Karnik et al. identify a previously unsuspected player, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma), in the pathogenesis of the most frequent form of PCA, lichen planopilaris (LPP). The authors show that PPARgamma is required for maintenance of a functional epithelial stem cell compartment in murine hair follicles, that the targeted ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Hair follicle stem cell-specific PPARgamma deletion causes scarring alopecia.   J Invest Dermatol, 129(5): 1243-57.

Primary cicatricial or scarring alopecias (CA) are a group of inflammatory hair disorders of unknown pathogenesis characterized by the permanent destruction of the hair follicle. The current treatment options are ineffective in controlling disease progression largely because the molecular basis for CA is not understood. Microarray analysis of the lymphocytic CA, Lichen planopilaris (LPP), compared to normal scalp biopsies identified decreased expression of genes required for lipid metabolism ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Alopecia published 13 April 2009:

IFAP syndrome is caused by deficiency in MBTPS2, an intramembrane zinc metalloprotease essential for cholesterol homeostasis and ER stress response.   Am J Hum Genet, 84(4): 459-67.

Ichthyosis follicularis with atrichia and photophobia (IFAP syndrome) is a rare X-linked, oculocutaneous human disorder. Here, we assign the IFAP locus to the 5.4 Mb region between DXS989 and DXS8019 on Xp22.11-p22.13 and provide evidence that missense mutations exchanging highly conserved amino acids of membrane-bound transcription factor protease, site 2 (MBTPS2) are associated with this phenotype. MBTPS2, a membrane-embedded zinc metalloprotease, activates signaling proteins involved in ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Alopecia published 24 March 2009:

Extensive bullous lichen sclerosus with scarring alopecia.   Clin Exp Dermatol, 34(3): 360-2.

We describe details of a very rare variant of lichen sclerosus in an elderly man. This pattern was characterized by involvement of most of the body surface by bullae, erosions and scarring, including scarring alopecia. Our patient responded to topical corticosteroids and doxycycline. Borrelia spp. have been implicated in a previous case of this variant, but we could not find any evidence of this in our patient. [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Alopecia published 18 March 2009:

Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia: past, present, and future.   J Am Acad Dermatol, 60(4): 660-8.

Clinical scarring alopecia in African American women has been recognized for years. The classification of this unique form of alopecia dates back to Lopresti, who first described the entity called "hot comb alopecia." More recently, the term "central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia" has been adopted to describe a progressive vertex-centered alopecia most common in women of African descent. While this form of hair loss is widely recognized, and may even be on the rise, the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Hair grooming practices and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia.   J Am Acad Dermatol, 60(4): 574-8.

BACKGROUND: The cause of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) in African American women remains to be elucidated. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the hair-grooming practices in African American women with and without CCCA and to evaluate possible etiologic factors. METHODS: Utilizing a novel survey instrument, the Hair Grooming Assessment Survey, we performed a retrospective comparative survey of the hair-grooming practices of two populations of African American women ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Alopecia published 23 February 2009:

Tinea capitis mimicking cicatricial alopecia: what host and dermatophyte factors lead to this unusual clinical presentation?   J Am Acad Dermatol, 60(3): 490-5.

Tinea capitis is the most common dermatophyte infection in children. The clinical presentation varies from subtle asymptomatic scaling to inflammatory suppurative nodules and draining tracks. Both chronic and acute inflammatory infections may damage the hair follicle leading to secondary cicatricial alopecia. In rare instances, the initial presentation can mimic a primary cicatricial alopecia. We present three cases of tinea capitis in children masquerading as cicatricial alopecia and discuss ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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