A dysfunction of the immune system is the basis of the alopecia disorder
What and who affects thealopecia, the ailment that former French premier Edouard Philippe and Jada Pinkett Smith also suffer from? Alopecia areata is a disease due to a immune system dysfunction which no longer recognizes the follicles, considers them enemies and therefore attacks them and blocks their activity. It is therefore an autoimmune disease that experiences sudden hair loss.
How widespread
It affects the 2% of the populationmen and women.
In alopecia areata there is hair loss hair (in the active phases of the disease even more than 30% of the total) and sometimes even gods hair of other parts of the body such as eyelashes, eyebrows (what happened to Edouard Philippe), beard. Alopecia areata can arise at any age but there are two frequency peaks: before puberty and between 20 and 40 years. There is a hereditary predisposition.
Features
Alopecia can be patchy (with areas without hair or dander), total (when the loss occurs all over the scalp), universal (if all hair and body hair falls out). Even in the case of alopecia areata, and in the most severe forms, hair regrowth can often occur without any treatment, particularly within a year of the onset of the disease (percentage of cure between 34 and 50%). In alopecia areata present a strong genetic predisposition and even children can suffer from it. The specialist of reference the dermatologist.
The therapies
As therapyone can choose from medicines that act on the autoimmune component of alopecia areata (such as i corticosteroids) or among active ingredients that can promote the regrowth of hair and hair (minoxidil, anthralin). There are also substances that sensitize the skin by inducing eczematous reactions in the treated area (diphencyprone, squaric acid). They are also available biological medicines, the so-called JAK-inhibitors are already used today for other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and atopic dermatitis. These drugs have been approved for patients over 18 years of age with severe forms who have had no benefit from corticosteroid treatment. In Italy they have not yet been approved, however some centers have the possibility of using them for compassionate use which can have both topical and systemic use. Any cure must be continued for at least 9-12 months before its effectiveness can be evaluated.
After a tumor
Also following a cancer there happens to be one baldness more or less pronounced, in some cases due to the direct effects of the therapies on the hair follicles, in others even just due to the strong stress to which they are subjected.
Androgenic alopecia
Hair loss can be due to other causes: for example the so-called telogen effluvium and androgenetic alopecia, the classic baldness.
L’androgenic alopecia instead baldness is more typical of men ed irreversible. In this case the follicles shrink and therefore the hair becomes thinner, especially on the forehead and temples. This phenomenon, in a mild form, is very frequent with advancing age, even in women. Androgenic alopecia affects approx 70% of men and 40% of womenespecially after menopause: in men it is manifested by hair loss on the top of the head (which often remains completely bald), in women there is a generalized thinning.
Vitiligo
There vitiligo
on the other hand, another disorder from which former premier Edouard Philippe claims to suffer affects 2-3% of the European population: those who suffer from it have fewer melanocytes and those present have a reduced capacity to produce melanin. Vitiligo vulgaris is the most common form and is characterized by light patches all over the body, usually symmetrical. The most affected areas are: face (especially around the eyes and mouth), elbows, hands, feet, knees and private parts.
February 6, 2023 (change February 6, 2023 | 4:35 pm)
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