Hair Loss Research News
What causes alopecia is not really known, but it's believed to be an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own hair follicles; some people with alopecia also have conditions such as multiple sclerosis or thyroid disease. Sometimes, alopecia is caused by habitual hair-pulling. It can also be inherited.
Last summer, Angela Christiano, an associate professor of dermatology and genetics at Columbia University Medical Center in New York and someone who has had alopecia for ten years, uncovered eight genes that underpin the disease. Her research also showed that alopecia shares no genes with the autoimmune skin diseases (with which it was previously connected) and is actually linked to rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease. She is currently working on how these genes may predict the course of the disease.
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