What Illnesses Cause Thinning Hair?

Losing hair can be devastating in both men and women, and even more devastating if the loss is unexplained. According to the Hair Loss Learning Center, 35 million men and 21 million women suffer from hair loss in the US alone. Some of these cases are due to underlying illnesses and are temporary, and others may be permanent.

Influenza

• Having the flu accompanied with a high fever can result in hair loss. This is due to stress from the illness, which causes the hair to go into a resting phase. This condition is known as telogen effluvium. In telogen effluvium, more hair than usual go into resting phase resulting in significant hair thinning. At any time in our lives, up to 20 percent of our hair is in a resting phase while 80 to 90 percent remains active. The way to treat thinning hair from this condition is to remove the trigger that causes it. In this case getting over the bug will generally be enough to start the hair re-growth process naturally.

Hyperthyroidism and Hypothyroidism

• Thyroid glands secrete a chemical called thyroxin. Thyroxin is responsible for keeping everything from our heart rates regular to ensuring normal bone growth. This chemical is a key player in regulating metabolism. If too much or too little of this chemical is excreted, it can directly affect your metabolism, thus affecting your hair growth. Your hair follicles are dependent on normal metabolism, and follicular tissues respond highly to changes and fluctuations in metabolic patterns. This type of hair loss is more common in women than it is in men.

Diabetes

• Diabetes is a hormonal disorder that also affects the way your blood circulates. People with diabetes have poor blood circulation and a slower healing process than usual, this can directly affect hair growth. The poor circulation causes the hair to become weak and fall out. At any given time 10 to 20 percent of hair is in resting stage, and so we notice a few hairs falling out from time to time. With diabetes, hair can become noticeably thin since the poor circulation affects more hairs.

Lupus

• Over 54 percent of people who have Lupus report hair thinning and hair loss in patches. According to Dr. Chang-Miller of Mayo Clinic, these changes are perfectly normal. The hair will generally recondition itself as the treatment of Lupus progresses, but in some cases, the hair loss cannot be treated. Some Lupus patients notice a red rash on their scalp called a discoid rash. This rash causes the scalp to scar and it damages the hair follicles, resulting in permanent hair loss.

Menopause

• Hormonal changes experienced in menopause can cause the hair to thin. This is due to the decrease of estrogen, leaving the male hormone intact. A hormonal imbalance of this kind results in male pattern hair loss. The hairs affected are directly responsive to androgens (male hormone). There are no known treatments to stop the loss of hair with this condition, but some women see improvement in slowing the loss down by using HRTs.