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Diffuse alopecia (symptomatic): causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Last reviewed: 27.12.2021
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Daily hair loss (50-100) is a physiological process; The follicle re-enters the anagen phase and alopecia does not develop. However, under the influence of various external and internal factors, the asynchronous nature of the hair cycles in man is disturbed and excessive hair loss occurs.
Diffuse baldness can be one of the symptoms of endocrine diseases (hypo- and hyperthyroidism, hypophyseal function decrease, etc.). It can occur as a reaction to the use of medications (cytostatics, anticholinergics, D-penicillamine, thyreostatics, retinoids, antimalarials, lithium carbonate, ibuprofen and many others} emotional and physical stress, exogenous and metabolic hypoproteinemia, contact with toxic substances (chloroprene, thallium, mercury, etc.), minerals deficiency, neoplasms, etc. Conventional reaction The follicles are negatively affected by telogenovy hair loss, much more rare - anagenic fallout.
Telogenovoe hair loss - is an excessive loss of normal hair in the telogen phase. The most common of the six known functional types of this syndrome are:
- premature termination of the anagen phase as: response to medication, fever, blood loss, starvation, etc .;
- late completion of the anagen phase; in the last trimester of pregnancy, hair follicles linger in the growth phase, and after childbirth) quickly enter the telogen phase. Similarly, the mechanism and hair loss when stopping the reception of contraceptives.
Anagen hair loss is an excessive hair loss in the anagen phase, which is observed in patients with malignant neoplasms as a reaction to cytostatic and radiation therapy. It begins 4-10 days after exposure and can lead to total baldness. Sometimes the cause of anagenic alopecia is poisoning with arsenic, thallium, pesticides. The action of the above factors is based on the suppression of mitoses in the cells of the matrix and the violation of cell differentiation.
Treatment of diffuse alopecia. The prognosis is favorable in those cases when it is possible to establish and eliminate the cause of hair loss. It is usually easy to find out the cause of the acute onset of alopecia. However, with its gradual development, even careful collection of anamnesis may prove unproductive, since the patient often does not suspect that he has comorbid diseases or intoxications. In such cases, an in-depth examination of the patient is necessary.
To treat poisonings (arsenic, mercury, iodine, bromine, etc.) use specific antidotes (unitiol, sodium thiosulfate) or biologically active food supplements (BADP) containing vitamins, macro and microelements, herbal extracts. BADP removes toxic microelements from the body, radionuclides. These same drugs are used for individual correction of mineral imbalance. If hair loss is associated with medication, the doctor should decide whether to replace it. Patients also need psychological support, and some of them - in the help of a psychoneurologist. With insufficient effectiveness of psychotherapy, antidepressants are prescribed.
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