What Causes Alopecia Areata?
The leading cause of alopecia areata is an abnormality in the immune system of the body, which ultimately leads to the development of an autoimmune disorder. In the condition of alopecia areata, the body’s immune system does not function normally and attacks the healthy hair follicles. The biopsies of affected skin from alopecia areata patients show the penetration of hyper-active lymphocytes into the hair bulb of hair follicles.
The autoimmunity of the affected person disrupts healthy hair formation, leading to bald patches on the head. The exact cause behind the autoimmunity resulting in alopecia areata is still unknown. However, the following are some of the causes and risk factors leading to alopecia areata:
Genetics:
Genetics is the primary cause of alopecia areata, causing damage to hair follicles. According to researchers, one of the five people suffering from alopecia areata has a family history of the disease. There is a mutation in the healthy genes leading to the abnormality of the immune system in the patients suffering from alopecia areata. The mutated genes are passed on from one generation to another generation causing baldness.
According to medical research, almost 40% of the young adults aging below 30 years suffering from alopecia areata have at least one positive family member for this disorder. The progression of the disease and the severity differ in people, which again hints back to their genetic pattern. Mostly, the hair loss is more visible in the first year after the development of the disorder in a person. In most cases of alopecia areata, the studies confirm that the hair regrowth is seen normal with the developing age.