Facts about this disease
Alopecia areata is a medical condition in which a person’s hair falls out in round patches. Its hair can fall out either on the scalp or elsewhere on the body. Only about 5% of people can lose all of their hair on the body or scalp. Most at times the hair may grow back but may fall out again. Sometimes alopecia may last for many years.

Consequently, about 6.8 million people in the U.S. are mostly affected with alopecia areata and it has a lifetime risk of 2.1 percent. This medical condition affects people of all ages irrespective of your gender and ethnic groups. It often first surface during childhood and may differ in individuals who have it.

Types of alopecia areata
Alopecia areata can cause different types of hair loss namely:

Alopecia totalis: This is simply the loss of all hair on the scalp.
Alopecia areata: It involves hair loss in round patches.
Alopecia universalis: Entails the loss of all hairs on the body.
Have in mind that alopecia isn’t communicable and is not attributed to nerves. This disease most often surfaces in otherwise healthy persons. When your immune system attacks the hair follicles, which are the structures that have the roots of the hair; resulting in rapid hair loss.

What are the signs and symptoms of this disease?
A person with alopecia areata will experience one or more of the following:

Experiencing “exclamation mark” hairs: It involves experiencing a small hair in or at the edges of the bare spots on the head. You discover at the bottom that your hairs get narrower, like an exclamation mark.

Problems associated with your nails: This disease can attack your toenails and fingernails because they contain tiny pinpoint dents in them. It can also make your nails develop white spots or lines, lose their shine, appear rough, or become thin and may split. Sometimes nail changes its shape or falls off. You can also look out for nail changes as they constitute the first sign of alopecia areata.

Read more at https://relhealth.com/alopecia-areata-new-symptoms-causes-and-treatment/

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