Alopecia areata: a review on diagnosis, immunological etiopathogenesis and treatment options

Patients suffering from alopecia areata (AA) can lose hair in focal regions, the complete scalp, including eyelashes and eyebrows, or even the entire body. The exact pathology is not yet known, but the most described theory is a collapse of the immune privilege system, which can be found in some spe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inClinical and experimental medicine Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 215 - 230
Main Authors Sterkens, A., Lambert, J., Bervoets, A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cham Springer International Publishing 01.05.2021
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Alopecia
Autoimmune diseases
Baldness
Dendritic cells
Hair
Hematology
Immune privilege
Internal Medicine
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Multiple sclerosis
Oncology
Review Article
Scalp
Langerhans cells
Immunology
Treatment
Dendritic cells
Alopecia areata
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Summary:Patients suffering from alopecia areata (AA) can lose hair in focal regions, the complete scalp, including eyelashes and eyebrows, or even the entire body. The exact pathology is not yet known, but the most described theory is a collapse of the immune privilege system, which can be found in some specific regions of the body. Different treatment options, local and systemic, are available, but none of them have been proven to be effective in the long term as well for every treatment there should be considered for the possible side effects. In many cases, treated or non-treated, relapse often occurs. The prognosis is uncertain and is negatively influenced by the subtypes alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis and characteristics such as associated nail lesions, hair loss for more than 10 years and a positive familial history. The unpredictable course of the disease also makes it a mental struggle and AA patients are more often associated with depression and anxiety compared to the healthy population. Research into immunology and genetics, more particularly in the field of dendritic cells (DC), is recommended for AA as there is evidence of the possible role of DC in the treatment of other autoimmune diseases such as multiple Sclerosis and cancer. Promising therapies for the future treatment of AA are JAK-STAT inhibitors and PRP.
ISSN:1591-8890
1591-9528
DOI:10.1007/s10238-020-00673-w