Hair loss is a common problem faced by both men and women. The most common cause is known as androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness), and can affect women as well as men due to hormone imbalances. This is by far not the only cause of excessive hair loss. Sometimes, the loss of hair is just a symptom of an underlying problem or disease. This article will take a brief look at hair loss as a result of diseases like diabetes, etc.
Diabetes is one of the most common diseases to be linked with hair loss. This occurs for a variety of reasons. Diabetes causes the body to not heal properly, which can affect the cycle of growth and rest for the hair. In addition, energy is needed by other parts of the body to deal with the stresses of having too much glucose in the blood, which takes energy away from nonessential functions like growing hair. Finally, blood circulation problems can develop that starve the hair follicles for oxygen.
Anemia, a condition marked by a deficiency of iron in the blood, can cause hair loss. This is because iron is an essential element for the blood to be able to carry oxygen to the cells of the body. If the blood does not have enough iron, it carries less oxygen and the body uses it where it is needed most, leaving nonessential functions like hair growth out of the equation until the deficiency is cured.
Folliculitis is a fungal disease marked by the appearance of small pimples on the surface of the skin at the hair follicles. If one has sensitive skin or exercises poor personal hygiene, this condition can develop and choke the hair follicles down, causing hair to fall out and not be replaced properly.
Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, is one of the most common diseases to cause hair loss. The thyroid is one of the most important glands in the body and the hormones it produces control almost all aspects of the body’s metabolism and growth. If this gland is not functioning properly, the resulting shortage of hormones can lead to a shortage of proteins and amino acids necessary for the production of hair, the ability to absorb vitamins and minerals, and energy for hair growth that is diverted to other, more vital parts of the body.
Kerion is a bacterial infection that can develop on the scalp or beard area of the face as a result of an untreated ringworm infection. It is characterized by pus filled lesions on the scalp. The underlying fungus, tinea capitis, is a form of ringworm. This is basically the same fungus that causes athlete’s foot and jock itch. The fungus get under the skin and causes the follicles to be squeezed shut, making the hair thin and fall out.
Some rare diseases, Lupus for example, can lead to a very bad form of hair loss known as scarring alopecia. Occurrences of this type of hair loss are very rare, and very uncomfortable. Damage is done to the scalp the results in the formation of scar tissue. This scar tissue is incapable of supporting the growth of hair, meaning that these conditions result in permanent hair loss. There are no known treatments for this type of hair loss except the covering of the bald patches with a wig.
While hair loss is a fairly common problem among both men and women, almost 90 percent of cases are caused by genetics and/or hormone imbalance. There are, however, some diseases that can, have, and will cause hair loss. In most cases, treating the underlying cause will help to correct the situation and make the hair re-grow. Some diseases, extremely rare, cause permanent hair loss that can not be treated.
