Symptoms of Alopecia Areata

List of symptoms of Alopecia Areata:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Alopecia Areata includes the 3 symptoms listed below:

• Hair loss
• Balding
• Bald patches

Note that Alopecia Areata symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Alopecia Areata signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Alopecia Areata

Do I have Alopecia Areata?

• Alopecia Areata: Introduction
• Alopecia Areata: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Alopecia Areata
• Treatments for Alopecia Areata
• More about Alopecia Areata

Wrongly Diagnosed with Alopecia Areata?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Alopecia Areata includes:

• Pregnancy-related hair loss
• Autoimmune alopecia
• Alopecia Totalis
• Other causes of hair loss

• Alopecia

See the full list of 5 alternative diagnoses for Alopecia Areata

More about symptoms of Alopecia Areata:

More information about symptoms of Alopecia Areata and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Alopecia Areata
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Alopecia Areata
• Underlying causes of Alopecia Areata

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Bald patches - see all causes of Baldness
• Balding - see all causes of Baldness
• Hair loss - see all causes of Hair loss

Medical Books Online about Alopecia Areata

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Alopecia Areata are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Alopecia Areata.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Symptoms of Alopecia Areata: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Alopecia Areata.

Alopecia: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

In male-pattern alopecia, hair loss is gradual and usually affects the thinner, shorter, and less pigmented hairs of the frontal and parietal portions of the scalp. In women, hair loss is generally more diffuse; completely bald areas are uncommon but may occur.

Alopecia areata affects small patches of the scalp but may also occur as alopecia totalis, which involves the entire scalp and eyebrows, or as alopecia universalis, which involves the entire body. Although mild erythema may occur initially, affected areas of scalp or skin appear normal. “Exclamation point” hairs (loose hairs with dark, rough, brushlike tips on narrow, less pigmented shafts) occur at the periphery of new patches. Regrowth hairs are thin and may be white or gray. They’re usually replaced by normal hair.

In trichotillomania, patchy, incomplete areas of hair loss with many broken hairs appear on the scalp but may occur on other areas such as the eyebrows.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Vitiligo: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Vitiligo produces depigmented or stark-white patches on the skin; on fair-skinned whites, these are almost imperceptible. Lesions are usually bilaterally symmetrical with sharp borders, which occasionally are hyperpigmented. Lesions that are small initially can enlarge and even progress to total depigmentation (universal vitiligo).

These unique patches generally appear over bony prominences on the back of the hands; on the face, the axillae, genitalia, nipples, or umbilicus; around orifices (such as the eyes, mouth, and anus); within body folds; and at sites of trauma. The hair within these lesions may also turn white. Because hair follicles and certain parts of the eyes also contain pigment cells, vitiligo may be associated with premature gray hair and ocular pigmentary changes. (See Recognizing vitiligo.)

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Alopecia: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

With male pattern alopecia, hair loss is gradual and usually affects the thinner, shorter, and less pigmented hairs of the frontal and parietal portions of the scalp. In women, hair loss is generally more diffuse; completely bald areas are uncommon, but they may occur.

Alopecia areata affects small patches of the scalp but may also occur as alopecia totalis, which involves the entire scalp, or as alopecia universalis, which involves the entire body. Although mild erythema may occur initially, affected areas of scalp or skin appear normal. “Exclamation point” hairs (loose hairs with dark, rough, brushlike tips on narrow, less-pigmented shafts) occur at the periphery of new patches. Regrowth initially appears as fine, downy hair, which is replaced by normal hair. (See Alopecia areata.)

In trichotillomania, patchy, incomplete areas of hair loss with many broken hairs appear on the scalp, although they may occur on other areas such as the eyebrows.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Alopecia Areata as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Alopecia Areata, it is also important to consider Alopecia Areata as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Alopecia Areata may cause:

• Alopecia
• Nail pitting
• Onycholysis

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Alopecia Areata
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Alopecia Areata
• More about Alopecia Areata
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Alopecia Areata:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Alopecia Areata. This signs and symptoms information for Alopecia Areata has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Alopecia Areata signs or Alopecia Areata symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Alopecia Areata may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Alopecia Areata symptoms.