What is Alopecia areata?

Alopecia areata is actually a disease of the immune system and is commonly referred to as an autoimmune syndrome. This puts this disease into a class that also includes Crohn's disease as well as IBD and so on. The most common symptoms of alopecia areata is the hair loss on the head as well as the other parts of the body. The reason this occurs is the fact that the immune system starts to attack the hair follicles and stops them from growing hair or maintaining the root structure. When this happens the hair is no longer healthy and will fall out. With this particular form of alopecia, you will normally have quarter-sized patches of hair loss on the scalp and men can suffer from the same on the chest and so on. 

Auto-immune diseases such as alopecia areata are so-called because the immune system is actually designed to protect the body from such problems. Our immune system is the defense mechanism that prevents serious virus and bacterial infections from taking hold. When our immune system is diminished it allows attackers from outside to take residence in our body and cause health problems. However, with the auto-immune issue, there is something altogether different going on. The immune system itself is attacking healthy cells in the body and killing them which is counteractive to the way things should be. This is why the hair on the patients with alopecia areata will fall out, as the immune system has attacked the otherwise healthy areas and caused them to fail. 

Alopecia areata is one of the most mild forms of alopecia that has currently been identified. While there is hair loss it has also been proven that the hair will most likely grow back. The problem is that if the auto-immune issue is not resolved the hair will once again fall out, causing the same issue over again. But the most important point about alopecia areata is the fact that it is not life-threatening at all. The only real issue with this disease is the hair loss and it is not a symptom of a more serious issue underlying. 

Doctors will normally treat the hair loss at its center because there is no known cure for the auto-immune issue that is the cause of alopecia areata. Patients who undergo the treatments will once again find a normal life because hair growth is stimulated for the bare patches on the scalp.