Alopecia Areata: An Autoimmune Disease Causing Hair Loss
April 2011
in “
Recent Patents on Inflammation & Allergy Drug Discovery
”
TLDR Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease causing hair loss in patches, often starting before age 20, and while some cases recover on their own, treatments include topical corticosteroids, minoxidil, and promising new methods like IL-31 antibodies and 308-nm Excimer laser therapy.
Alopecia Areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss in well-defined patches, with a lifetime risk of 1.7% in the general population. The disease often begins before the age of 20, affecting up to 60% of patients. The hair loss is typically localized to a single round or oval patch on the scalp, often accompanied by "exclamation point hairs" at the lesion's periphery. Due to a high rate of spontaneous recovery, particularly in cases with small areas of hair loss or recent onset, not all patients require pharmacological treatment. A "watch-and-wait" approach is often recommended, with psychological support provided if necessary. For those seeking active treatment, topical corticosteroids and minoxidil were the preferred options. Novel treatments such as Interleukin (IL)-31 antibodies and 308-nm Excimer laser therapy showed promise. The document also discussed recent patents related to alopecia treatment.
