The most common cause of hair loss is inherited hair loss (androgenetic alopecia)—you inherit the tendency to go bald from either or both of your parents. About 50% of all people have this type of hair loss by about 50 years of age.1, 2
Hair loss may affect children as well as adults. Certain diseases, medications, or scarring can cause hair loss. Alopecia areata, which is hair loss caused by an autoimmune disease, affects about 1% of the population and occurs in children and adults.3 A fungal infection called ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis) is very common in children and can also cause hair loss.
References
Citations
Habif TP (2004). Hair diseases. In Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy, 4th ed., pp. 834–863. Philadelphia: Mosby.
Thiedke CC (2003). Alopecia in women. American Family Physician, 676(5): 1007–1014.
Whiting DA (2006). Disorders of the hair. In DC Dale, DD Federman, eds., ACP Medicine, section 2, chap. 13. New York: WebMD.
Credits
| Author | Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Alexander H. Murray, MD, FRCPC - Dermatology |
| Last Updated | June 17, 2008 |
