TLDR Horse alopecia areata is rare and mainly affects their appearance.
This retrospective study at the University of California, Davis, characterized equine alopecia areata (AA) by analyzing 15 horses from 1980 to 2011. The prevalence of AA was 0.017%, with Appaloosas and quarter horses being the most commonly affected breeds. The median age was 9 years, ranging from 3 to 15 years. Alopecia primarily affected the mane, tail, and face, and more than half of the horses were presented for other medical conditions. A seasonal pattern was noted, with symptoms worsening in spring and summer. The study concluded that AA is a rare, typically cosmetic disease in horses and is the first to investigate its epidemiology.
421 citations,
April 2012 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition causing hair loss with no cure and treatments that often don't work well.
7 citations,
January 2011 in “Veterinary Pathology” A horse with severe hair loss was diagnosed with alopecia areata and a yeast infection.
14 citations,
August 2004 in “Veterinary Dermatology” The horse had a rare type of hair loss caused by immune cells attacking hair follicles.
69 citations,
July 2002 in “Clinical and Experimental Dermatology” Alopecia areata is influenced by genetics and immune system factors, and better understanding could improve treatments.
41 citations,
February 2001 in “Current pharmaceutical design” Current and future treatments for alopecia areata focus on immunosuppression, immunomodulation, and protecting hair follicles.
71 citations,
January 1998 in “Pathobiology” The document concludes that certain rats and mice are useful for studying hair loss in humans and testing treatments.
October 2023 in “Acta dermato-venereologica (Print)” People with severe hair loss have lower zinc levels in their blood.
