Hair Loss Product Reviews

Medical Reasons for Hair Loss

If it could be traced to just one cause, treating and curing hair loss would be easy. Sadly, that is not the case. Underlying health problems, infections, genetic factors, or many other issues may be contributing to your hair loss.

In some cases, hair loss may be a symptom of disease and not an end diagnosis in itself. In terms of your overall health, ruling out an underlying condition that could be causing your hair loss is important. This is where self-diagnosis can often lead you down the wrong path and waste your precious time and money.

Tests are required to determine if the loss is caused or triggered by an ongoing disease process. Sometimes, even after a disease is treated, hair loss can continue. Nonetheless, stabilizing the problem is important before proper treatment of your hair loss can begin.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), hyper/hypothyroidism, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are among the diseases that may be associated with thinning hair.

Lupus

SLE (also known as lupus) is a serious systemic condition categorized as an autoimmune disorder that may affect many organ systems, including the skin, joints, and internal organs. An autoimmune disorder occurs when the body’s own immune system attacks the body.

The symptoms of lupus include a telltale “butterfly rash” over the nose and cheeks, joint pain, kidney problems, muscle disorders, and swollen glands. Hair loss occurs in about 50 percent of patients with lupus and is marked by short frontal hairs.

Thyroid Problems

Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, is a condition in which the thyroid doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones. Some of the disease’s symptoms include hair loss, thin or brittle hair and nails, fatigue, weakness, cold intolerance, unexplained weight gain, depression, and joint or muscle pain.

Hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid, is the opposite of hypothyroidism; it is a metabolic imbalance involving an overproduction of thyroid hormones. The usual symptoms include weight loss, increased appetite, nervousness, restlessness, heat intolerance, increased sweating, and fatigue. Hair loss may also be present.

Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can be marked by sudden hair loss, and, according to an article in Prevention, may be marked by more diffuse thinning at the front of the hairline or on the crown.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS accounts for about 80 to 90 percent of androgen disorders in women. An androgen disorder means that male hormones, such as testosterone, are present in either too great or too little quantity.

Hair loss or thinning in what is usually considered a male pattern-at temples and crown-is one of the heralding features of this disease, but an overall thinning can signal its presence as well. In addition, other symptoms go hand in hand with PCOS: chronic irregular menstrual cycles or absent periods, infertility or difficulty conceiving because of non-ovulation, obesity, sudden unexplained weight gain, adult acne, hirsutism (excessive hair growth), and type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance.

Other Endocrine Disorders

Ferreting out a possible endocrine disorder, however mild, could be crucial to getting an accurate diagnosis and potential cure for your hair loss. Other endocrine disorders for which hair loss may be a symptom include diabetes, Hashimoto’s disease (thyroiditis), hypopituitarism, and hypothalamic disorders.

Nonendocrine Disorders

Nonendocrine disorders may also have hair loss as a symptom: liver disease, inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease, syphilis, liver and kidney failure, Candida (yeast infection), and certain cancers such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma and leukemia.

Naturally, if you have a really serious disease, hair loss will not be your only symptom, but it could be among the first, so getting a proper workup to ensure that your hair loss does not have a physical cause is your first step in your search for a solution.

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