Los Angeles Dermatological Society: Case of Diffuse Alopecia in a 30-Year-Old Woman
February 1938
in “
Archives of Dermatology
”
Studysummary This piece presents a case study of a woman with diffuse alopecia, suggesting a potential link to a chronic focus of infection rather than acute fever. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The document discusses a case of diffuse alopecia in a 30-year-old white woman, characterized by generalized thinning of hair on the scalp without scaling or keratosis pilaris. The Wassermann reaction was negative, and no fungi were found in the hair examination. The patient was treated with a mild ointment containing sulfur and salicylic acid. Dr. Samuel Ayres Jr. suggested that the condition might be a type of toxic alopecia, possibly triggered by a chronic infection, although the patient did not report a preceding fever. He noted similar cases of alopecia following acute infections, referencing the 1918 influenza epidemic.
