Pediatrics Central: Alopecia (Hair Loss)

Alopecia (Hair Loss)

Description

Absence of hair where it normally grows
Categorized as acquired or congenital
- Most cases are acquired: Tinea capitis is most common, followed by traumatic alopecia and alopecia areata.
Diffuse and localized forms
- Most cases are localized and, of these, tinea capitis is the most common.
Previous classifications of hair loss have included scarring and nonscarring forms.
- Scarring may be difficult to appreciate.
- Some causes of hair loss may cause scarring.
For diagnostic purposes, it is more useful to classify hair loss as congenital vs. acquired and further as circumscribed (localized) versus diffuse.
Many normal healthy newborns lose their hair in the first few months of life.
- It may be exacerbated by friction from bed sheets, especially in atopic infants.
Normally, 50–100 hairs are shed and simultaneously replaced every day, on average.
90% of cases due to the following disorders:
- Tinea capitis
- Alopecia areata
- Traction alopecia
- Telogen effluvium
  - Alopecia is preceded by a psychologically or physically stressful event 6–16 weeks prior to the onset of hair loss.
  - Growing hairs convert rapidly to resting hairs.

Alopecia (Hair Loss) has been found in 5-Minute Pediatric Consult

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