Hair Facts 55 Alopecia Statistics Including Causes And Treatments

	Alopecia Statistics	

1. Alopecia means hair loss.
2. Alopecia may affect only the scalp or the whole body.
3. As a condition, alopecia can be temporary or permanent.
4. Alopecia can result from heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions, or aging.
5. Alopecia is more common in males.
6. Baldness means excessive hair loss from the scalp.
7. Hereditary hair loss is the most common cause of baldness.
8. Most men prefer don’t treat their hair loss with treatment and let it run its course.
9. The receding hairline is also known as frontal fibrosing alopecia.
10. Sudden hair loss is an indication of underlying medical conditions that requires treatment.
11. People lose approximately 50 to 100 hairs a day.
12. Alopecia occurs when new hairs don’t grow out.
13. Studies show that there’s a correlation between smoking and baldness in men.

	Alopecia Areata Statistics	

14. Alopecia areata occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles, causing hair loss.
15. Alopecia areata is considered an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.
16. Alopecia areata affects hair on the head and the face.
17. Hair tends to fall out in small, round patches about the size of a large coin.
18. There is no cure for alopecia areata.
19. There are treatments available to promote rapid hair growth.
20. Alopecia areata affects men and women equally among all races and ethnic groups.
21. Alopecia areata can occur at any age, but the condition is more common in teens, twenties, and thirties.
22. Alopecia areata can also affect children younger than age ten years old.
23. Genetics play a role in causing alopecia areata, and the condition can be passed down through generations.
24. Most people with alopecia areata have no genetic predisposition.
25. Certain autoimmune diseases, such as psoriasis, thyroid disease, or vitiligo, are more likely to cause alopecia areata.
26. People with chronic allergic conditions such as hay fever are also prompt to get alopecia areata.
27. Emotional stress, illness, and side effects of medications can bring on temporary alopecia areata in people at risk.
28. There are three types of alopecia areata: patchy alopecia areata, alopecia totalis, and alopecia universalis.
29. Patchy alopecia areata is the most common condition and comprises patchy hair loss.
30. Alopecia unversalis is the rarest condition and entails complete hair loss from the head and body.
31. Alopecia totalis means total hair loss from the scalp.
32. Alopecia areata treatments include steroid injections, topical and oral medications.
33. Alopecia areata’s diagnosis is based on the hair loss pattern and the patient’s medical history.
34. A biopsy is sometimes needed to confirm the alopecia areata’s diagnosis.

	Alopecia Statistics Worldwide 	

35. Alopecia areata is found worldwide.
36. 147 million people worldwide are affected by alopecia areata.
37. It’s estimated that 1 in 1000 people worldwide suffers from alopecia areata. The lifetime risk is 2%.
38. Alopecia areata affects as many as 6.8 million people in the U.S., with a lifetime risk of 2.1%.
39. Children and adults may develop alopecia areata, and the disease occurs at similar rates in males and females.
40. The mean age for diagnosis of alopecia areata is 32 years in males and 36 years in females.
41. Alopecia areata is a polygenic disease, which means that both parents must contribute several specific genes for a child to develop it.
42. In identical twins, there’s only a 55% chance that if one has alopecia areata, the other will, too.
43. Scientists believe it takes more than genetics to cause the disease. Environmental factors also contribute to developing alopecia areata.
44. Alopecia areata treatment is available to disrupt or distract the immune attack and/or stimulate hair follicle growth.
45. Alopecia areata’s treatment is effective for people with less than 50% hair loss.
46. For patients with more than 50% hair loss on their scalp or the body, there are oral and injectable medications available.
47. In alopecia areata, our body’s defense system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles making hair fall out.
48. Regrowth of hair may or may not occur.
49. The gene responsible for alopecia universalis is located on the short arm of chromosome 8.
50. Trichotillomania, or hair pulling, is a neurotic habit that usually appears in children and may lead to alopecia areata.
51. Hypotrichiasis (hypotrichosis, alopecia congenitalis, alopecia adnata, congenital alopecia, congenital baldness) is a condition characterized by the absence of hair at birth.
52. Alopecia medicamentosa is hair loss on the scalp caused by a reaction to drugs in sensitive or allergic people.
53. Alopecia medicamentosa may also result from chemotherapy treatments.
54. In 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved baricitinib (Olumiant) oral tablets as a treatment option for adult patients with severe alopecia areata.
55. Baricitinib (Olumiant) is the first FDA approval of a systemic treatment for alopecia areata. Sources: NIAMS, Mayo Clinic, WebMD, YaleMedicine, uptodate, naaf.org, rarediseases.org.