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Hair loss
- Hair loss: Introduction
- Causes (506 conditions)
- Types
- Diagnosis Checklist (16 listings)
- Misdiagnosis
- Diagnostic Guides (Online)
- Diagnostic tests (13 listings)
- Symptom Checker
- Drug causes (453 listings)
- Drug interaction causes (2 listings)
- Videos
- Definitions
- Choose Doctor
- Classifications
- News (20 listings)
- Stories from Users
Hair loss: Introduction
Some amount of hair loss is normal every day. However, excessive hair loss or unusual hair thinning can be a symptom of a disease, and needs prompt professional medical diagnosis.
» Review Causes of Hair loss: full list
Causes of Hair loss:
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Hair loss.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
- Baldness
- Male pattern baldness
- Female pattern baldness
- Hereditary baldness
- Normal aging
- Menopause
- Nervous hair pulling - usually in children
- Excessively tight hair accessories
- Excessive shampoo or hair-drying
- Childbirth - hair gets stronger during pregnancy and falls out after birth.
- Poor diet
- High fever
- Chronic fever (see Fever)
- Excessive dieting
- Alopecia
- Alopecia areata
- Telogen alopecia
- Anogen alopecia
- Skin conditions
- Skin injury
- Eczema
- Dermatitis
- Burns
- Psoriasis
- Hormonal disorders
- more causes...»
See full list of 506 causes of Hair loss
» Review Causes of Hair loss: full list
Causes of Types of Hair loss:
Review the causes of these more specific types of Hair loss:
- Baldness (459 causes)
- Loss of eyelashes (7 causes)
- Temporary hair loss (2 causes)
- Patchy hair loss (10 causes)
- Thinning hair (28 causes)
- Hair thinning (1 cause)
- Pubic hair loss (13 causes)
- Reversible alopecia
- Thin hair (31 causes)
- Male-pattern baldness (8 causes)
- Bald (74 causes)
- more types...»
Review causes of types of Hair loss in more specific categories:
- Hair loss in children (28 causes)
- more types...»
See full list of 33 types for Hair loss
Hair loss: Symptom Checker
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Hair loss, as listed in our database. Visit the Symptom Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.
Symptom Checker
Symptom Checker
- Hair loss and Baldness (361 causes)
- Hair loss and Head symptoms (346 causes)
- Hair loss and Face symptoms (340 causes)
- Hair loss and Hair symptoms (335 causes)
- Hair loss and Skin symptoms (181 causes)
- Hair loss and Skin problems (179 causes)
- Hair loss and Behavioral symptoms (173 causes)
- Hair loss and Body symptoms (168 causes)
- Hair loss and Infant symptoms (164 causes)
- Hair loss and Personality symptoms (161 causes)
- Hair loss and Growth symptoms (160 causes)
- Hair loss and Poor growth (159 causes)
- Hair loss and Mouth symptoms (152 causes)
- Hair loss and Eye symptoms (141 causes)
- Hair loss and Nerve symptoms (136 causes)
- more...»
See full list of 3753 Symptom Checker combinations related to Hair loss
Causes of General Symptom Types
Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:
- Hair symptoms (630 causes)
- Baldness (459 causes)
- Head symptoms (5905 causes)
- Face symptoms (4286 causes)
- more symptoms...»
Causes of Similar Symptoms to Hair loss
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Hair loss:
- Graying (11 causes)
- Hairiness (172 causes)
- Hair symptoms (630 causes)
- Hormonal imbalance
- Androgens
- Oestrogens
- Drug side effect
- Chemotherapy
- more symptoms...»
Diagnostic Guides for Hair loss
Medical Books Excerpts Read excertps from published book sections related to Hair loss from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Hair loss. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Hair loss
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Misdiagnosis and Hair loss
Rare form of hair loss often misdiagnosed: a rare form of extreme hair loss called "Atrichia with papular lesions" (APL) is often misdiagnosed as alopecia totalis. Researchers estimate that about 1...read more »
Hair and scalp disorders misdiagnosed in African Americans: A higher than average percentage of misdiagnoses of hair or scalp disorders seem to occur in African Americans. Some of the overlooked hair/scalp conditions include cicatrial alopecia, traction folliculitis...read more »
Subtle changes in hypothroidism can be missed: The early changes in hypothyroidism are subtle and can be misdiagnosed especially if only a single symptom is dominant. Hence the list of conditions from which it has to be differentiated from is endless. To...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Hair loss
Diagnostic tests for Hair loss:
Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Hair loss. Some of these are listed below :
- Physical examination
- Determine the pattern of hair loss - e.g. male pattern balding, focal alopecia areata (localized loss of hair in round or oval areas without any visible inflammation of the skin in hair bearing areas), alopecia totalis (loss of all scalp hair and eyebrows, alopecia universalis (the end stage of alopecia areata with complete loss of all body hair).
- Examine area of skin where there is hair loss to determine if there is a skin rash, skin inflammation or skin scarring
- Examine nails. If alopecia areata- type hair loss and nails are also affected, this suggests poor prognostic chance of hair re-growth
- more tests...»
See full list of 13
diagnostic tests for Hair loss
Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Hair loss. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you had problems with hair loss? - to determine if acute or chronic.
- Is the hair loss focal or diffuse?
- If the hair loss is focal, is there a rash in the area of hair loss? - If rash is present must consider tinea capitis, lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis. If rash is not present, should consider alopecia areata, syphilis, burns and other injuries to the skin.
- Is there a family history of male pattern baldness? - i.e. receding hair line at the front, especially each side which results in an M-shaped recession. Following this, a bald spot may appear on the crown.
- Is there a family history of female pattern baldness? - e.g. diffuse thinning of the hair on top of the head.
- more questions...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Hair loss (16 listings)
Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Hair loss) may include:
- If female pattern baldness, are there signs of androgen excess? - e.g. acne, excess hairiness (of genitals, nipples, abdomen and face), irregular periods, deepening of the voice, enlarged clitoris - may suggest endocrine dysfunction.
- Symptoms of menopause? - e.g. hot flushes, night sweats, heart palpitations, lightheadedness, dry vaginal, dry skin, headaches and sometimes diffuse hair loss.
- Symptoms of chronic Vitamin A excess? - e.g. bone or joint pain, hair loss, dryness and fissures of the lips, poor appetite, itchy skin, weight loss, low grade fever.
- Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism - e.g. preference for cooler weather, increased appetite, heart palpitations, increased sweating, nervousness, irritability, diarrhea, lack of menstrual periods.
- Symptoms of hypothyroidism? - e.g. husky voice, tiredness, weight gain, constipation, cold intolerance, loss of hair.
- more symptoms...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Hair loss (16 listings)
Stories from Users for Hair loss
Real-life user stories relating to Hair loss:
- Oily scalp, scalp pimples, dandruff and excessive hair loss...???...
- HIV?AIDS am i worrying too much, please help
- hair falling, please help me
- Talking Too Much
- losing my hope fast....
- Please Help! I'm losing my home...my spirit is broken I don't know what to do.
- Please help me, anyone. I have too much to lose.
- Please help me-Too much pain for too long. Cannot go on like this.
- will I lose it?
- pee too much
- My 7 yr old has Alopecia - Please Help!
- Hair problem - causing me SO much stress...desperate for help.
- to much meds?
- HELP PLEASE!!! I cannot live like this much longer
- Too much benadryl
- So much symptoms and a ruined life?
- Losing Hope, Needing Help
- Please Help Much Discomfort!
- I was 16 and balding
- I'm Losing My Sister
Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Hair loss or relevant symptoms:
- Constitutional (General Wellbeing) (371)
- Integumentary (Skin) (432)
- Allergic/Immunologic (157)
- Gastrointestinal (Food - from entry to exit) (775)
Videos for Hair loss
Female-pattern Hair Loss
Though hair loss can be embarrassing and unpleasant for anyone, our society considers hair loss in women a sort of cosmetic disaster. But it's...
Herbal Supplement in Hair Loss
If you're trying to put an end to your hair loss, you've probably encountered an endless array of products that claim to stop or even reverse...
Genetics and Hair Loss
You've probably heard people say that hair loss is passed down to men through their mother's side, or to women from their father's side,...
Genetics of Hair Loss
The genetic causes of male pattern baldness and other common diseases of genetic hair loss are more complex than most people think. Researchers are...
Patient Surveys for Hair loss
- Patient Profile Survey
Take Survey View Results - Survey about diseases related to your Hair loss
Take Survey View Results
Causes of Hair loss listed in Disease Database:
Other medical conditions listed in the Disease Database as possible
causes of Hair loss as a symptom include:
- Ablepharon-macrostomia syndrome
- Acrokeratosis paraneoplastica of Bazex
- Adrenal cortex insufficiency
- Albendazole
- Alopecia areata
- Alopecia mucinosa
- Amiodarone
- Atopic dermatitis
- Autoimmune adrenalitis
- Biotinidase deficiency
- more causes...»
See full list of 506
causes of Hair loss
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Medications or substances causing Hair loss:
The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible
causes of Hair loss as a symptom.
Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using,
including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
- Chemotherapy
- Gout medications
- Arthritis medications
- Antidepressants
- High-dose Vitamin A
- Dextrothyroxine Sodium
- more causes...»
See full list of 453
medications causing Hair loss
Drug interactions causing Hair loss:
When combined, certain drugs, medications, substances or toxins may react causing Hair loss as a symptom. Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using, including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
- Birth Control Pill and Vitamin C interaction
- Phenytoin and Levothyroxine interaction
- more interactions...»
See full list of 2 drug interactions causing Hair loss
Definitions of Hair loss:
Baldness; absence of hair from skin areas where it is normally present.
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Organs affected by Hair loss:
The list of organs typically affected by Hair loss may include, but is not limited to:
Detailed list of causes of Hair loss
The list below shows some of the causes of Hair loss mentioned in various sources:
- 1q deletion - sparse hair
- Aarskog-Ose-Pande syndrome - sparse hair
- Ablepharon-macrostomia syndrome - sparse hair
- Ackerman syndrome - sparse body hair
- Acrofacial dysostosis, Palagonia type - sparse scalp hair
- more causes...»
See full list of 506 causes of Hair loss
How Common are these Causes of Hair loss?
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Hair loss. Of the 506 causes of Hair loss that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
- 4 causes are "very common" diseases
- 16 causes are "common" diseases
- 4 causes are "uncommon" diseases
- 2 causes are "rare" diseases
- 5 causes are "very rare" diseases
- 490 causes have no prevalence information.
See the analysis of the prevalence of 506 causes of Hair loss
Conditions listing symptoms: Hair loss:
The following list of conditions have 'Hair loss' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
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Conditions listing complications: Hair loss:
The following list of conditions have 'Hair loss' or similar listed as a complication in our database. The distinction between a symptom and complication is not always clear, and conditions mentioning this symptom as a complication may also be relevant. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
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Ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our free interactive user forums.
Medical story forums: If you have a medical story then we want to hear it.
Causes of Hair loss Based on Risk Factors
This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Hair loss based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Hair loss?
Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Hair loss, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :
What are the alternative names for Hair loss:
Hypotrichosis, Alopecia, Atrichia, Bald, Balding, Baldness
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Classifications of Hair loss:
Subtypes of Hair loss:
Baldness (372 causes), Loss of eyelashes (7 causes), Temporary hair loss (2 causes), Patchy hair loss (10 causes), Thinning hair (23 causes), Hair thinning (1 cause), Pubic hair loss (3 causes), Reversible alopecia, Thin hair (15 causes), Male-pattern baldness (4 causes), Bald (2 causes)
Medical Conditions associated with Hair loss:
Hair symptoms (629 causes), Baldness (372 causes), Head symptoms (5831 causes), Face symptoms (4261 causes)
Symptoms related to Hair loss:
Graying (11 causes), Hairiness (152 causes), Hair symptoms (629 causes), Hormonal imbalance, Androgens, Oestrogens, Drug side effect, Chemotherapy
Medical articles on signs and symptoms:
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
- What to tell your doctor about your symptoms
- What questions will the doctor ask about your symptoms (and why)?
- What does your doctor do in a physical examination?
- What questions should you ask the doctor about a symptom or diagnosis?
- What questions to ask the doctor about the treatment
- Steps to take to get the most out of a doctor visit
- More articles on symptoms and diagnosis
These general medical articles may be of interest:
- Medical Symptom Books
- Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
- Online Diagnosis
- Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
- Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
Medical News summaries about Hair loss
Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Hair loss and many other medical conditions:
- Breast cancer triple assessment
- Combination of Taxotere and Estramustine for prostate cancer therapy
- FDA fails to approve testosterone patch for women
- Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism
- Healthy diet leads to man suffering mercury toxicity
News Archives for Hair loss
Medical news articles related to Hair loss include:
- Countdown to Hair Loss
- Too Much Media May Be Tough on Kids' Health
- Too Much Cola Can Cause Muscle Problems
- Health Tip: Too Much Exercise Isn't Good Either
- Health Tip: Signs That You've Had Too Much Caffeine
- Using Too Much Salt Is Common in U.S., CDC Says
- Too Much Red Meat May Shorten Life Span
- Adult Fast-Food Diets Tied to Too Much TV as Teen
- more health news...»
Source: HealthDay News
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Hair loss
Medical research papers related to Hair loss include:
- Single agent versus combination chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer
- Comparison of gemcitabine and carboplatin versus cisplatin and etoposide for patients with poor-prognosis small cell lung cancer
- Is there any evidence or case studies that hair thinning/breakage is associated with the IUD (copper )?
- Interventions for alopecia areata
- What is known about the long term risks of taking daily turmeric?
- Subcutaneous efalizumab is not effective in the treatment of alopecia areata
- Is there any evidence to suggest that the use of the combined oral contraceptive (Marvelon) causes hair loss?
- Nonpharmacologic strategies for managing common chemotherapy adverse effects: a systematic review
Research More Evidence-Based Medicine at TripDatabase.com
Related medical articles from our Disease Center for Hair loss:
- Introduction: Hair loss
- Basic Summary for Hair loss
- Videos for Hair loss
- Drug Causes of Hair loss
- Misdiagnosis of Hair loss
- Treatments for Hair loss
More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:
- Symptom Center - over 4,000 symptoms listed
- Symptom List
- Symptom Descriptions
- All Symptoms
- Diseases Center - find symptom lists for over 13,000 diseases.
- Books on Medical Symptoms
- Books on Medical Diagnosis
» Next page: Causes of Hair loss
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- Causes of Hair loss
- Diagnostic Guides Online for Hair loss
- Misdiagnosis of Hair loss
- ALOPECIA (Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs)
- Alopecia (In a Page: Signs and Symptoms)
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