Alopecia and Thyroid Disease
Published 2008 · Michelle Babb-Tarbox, W. Bergfeld
0
Citations
0
Influential Citations
Abstract
Hair has an intimate relationship with thyroid hormone. Although the precise physiologic effects remain to be determined, it is clear that fluctuations in the level of thyroid hormone may result in alopecia. These findings may be noted throughout life, appearing in congenital hypothyroidism in the neonate and apathetic hyperthyroidism in the elderly. The spectrum of hair disorders associated with thyroid disease includes cycling defects seen with either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, cycling problems related to drugs that affect the thyroid gland, syndromal disorders, inflammatory conditions such as lichen planopilaris or lupus that could lead to scarring alopecia, or associations with other autoimmune disorders such as alopecia areata. I follow the credo that if there is hair loss, an evaluation for thyroid disease, either as a cause or as an association, should routinely be part of any workup. As more is learned about the genuine function of thyroid hormone on hair, perhaps we will bear witness to a future in which thyroid hormone may be used therapeutically as an adjunctive agent for alopecic disorders.