Acute Diffuse and Total Alopecia of the Female Scalp
January 2002
in “
Dermatology
”
TLDR A new type of sudden, complete female hair loss was found, with most patients fully recovering within 6 months without needing steroid treatment.
In 2002, a study involving 9 female patients identified a new subtype of alopecia, termed Acute Diffuse and Total Alopecia of the Female Scalp (ADTAFS). This condition is characterized by sudden and complete hair loss within a month, without systemic diseases or telogen effluvium as underlying causes. Histological analysis showed similarities to alopecia areata, particularly eosinophilic infiltration, but with distinct differences. The prognosis for ADTAFS was found to be favorable, with 8 out of the 9 patients experiencing cosmetically acceptable hair regrowth within 6 months, and complete remission in 8 patients at least 4 years after onset, despite 2 experiencing recurrences. The study concluded that ADTAFS is a noncicatricial, inflammatory alopecia with a marked female predominance and a short clinical course, and that treatment with steroids did not significantly alter the natural progression of the condition.
