Alopecia areata
Last updated 16 Mar 2026
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Alopecia areata is a common disorder that causes hair loss. "Alopecia" is a Latin term that means baldness, and "areata" refers to the patchy nature of the hair loss that is typically seen with this condition.
Description
Alopecia areata is a common disorder that causes hair loss. "Alopecia" is a Latin term that means baldness, and "areata" refers to the patchy nature of the hair loss that is typically seen with this condition.
In most people with alopecia areata, hair falls out in small, round patches, leaving coin-sized areas of bare skin. This patchy hair loss occurs most often on the scalp but can affect other parts of the body as well. Uncommonly, the hair loss involves the entire scalp (in which case the condition is known as alopecia totalis) or the whole body (alopecia universalis). Other rare forms of alopecia areata, which have different patterns of hair loss, have also been reported.
Alopecia areata affects people of all ages, although it most commonly appears in adolescence or early adulthood. Hair loss occurs over a period of weeks. The hair usually grows back after several months, although it may fall out again. In some cases, unpredictable cycles of hair loss followed by regrowth can last for years. In addition to hair loss, some affected individuals have fingernail and toenail abnormalities, such as pits on the surface of the nails.
The hair loss associated with alopecia areata is not painful or disabling. However, it causes changes in a person's appearance that can profoundly affect quality of life and self-esteem. In some people, the condition can lead to depression, anxiety, and other emotional or psychological issues.
Inheritance patterns
The source lists the following possible inheritance patterns: Pattern unknown. More than one pattern can apply in different cases.
Related genes
Other names
AA
Alopecia circumscripta
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Further reading and references
- Alopecia areata; MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- Biran R, Zlotogorski A, Ramot Y. The genetics of alopecia areata: new approaches, new findings, new treatments. J Dermatol Sci. 2015 Apr;78(1):11-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2015.01.004. Epub 2015 Jan 28.
- Gilhar A, Etzioni A, Paus R. Alopecia areata. N Engl J Med. 2012 Apr 19;366(16):1515-25. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1103442. No abstract available.
- Jabbari A, Petukhova L, Cabral RM, Clynes R, Christiano AM. Genetic basis of alopecia areata: a roadmap for translational research. Dermatol Clin. 2013 Jan;31(1):109-17. doi: 10.1016/j.det.2012.08.014. Epub 2012 Oct 23.
- Korta DZ, Christiano AM, Bergfeld W, Duvic M, Ellison A, Fu J, Harris JE, Hordinsky MK, King B, Kranz D, Mackay-Wiggan J, McMichael A, Norris DA, Price V, Shapiro J, Atanaskova Mesinkovska N. Alopecia areata is a medical disease. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018 Apr;78(4):832-834. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2017.09.011. No abstract available.
- Petukhova L, Christiano AM. The genetic architecture of alopecia areata. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2013 Dec;16(1):S16-22. doi: 10.1038/jidsymp.2013.5.
- Pratt CH, King LE Jr, Messenger AG, Christiano AM, Sundberg JP. Alopecia areata. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017 Mar 16;3:17011. doi: 10.1038/nrdp.2017.11.
- Strazzulla LC, Wang EHC, Avila L, Lo Sicco K, Brinster N, Christiano AM, Shapiro J. Alopecia areata: Disease characteristics, clinical evaluation, and new perspectives on pathogenesis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018 Jan;78(1):1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2017.04.1141.
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