Hair Loss: Pattern Baldness or Poor Health?

Article by HairlossTalk.com

The damage caused to the lining of the gastrointestinal tract by chronic inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) and celiac disease severely impairs the capacity for nutrients to be absorbed across the gut wall and into the body. This malabsorption can result in a number of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, all of which can trigger hair loss in the same way as dietary deficiencies can. In contrast, this secondary form of deficiency cannot be corrected by dietary modification without first treating the underlying intestinal disease.

The endocrine system

Hormones are a major determinant in both normal and abnormal hair loss and re-growth cycles. The endocrine system is a complicated, dynamic network of hormones produced by a range of tissues and organs throughout the body. Changes in any one hormone can impact levels and the function of other hormones within this body-wide network. As such, most hormonal imbalances can trigger hair loss.
Thinning is a major symptom of thyroid disease, in which levels of production of thyroxine, one of the 'master hormones' of the endocrine system, will alter. This is true for hyperthyroidism (conditions of overactive thyroid function) and hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), as in both cases, the hormones that regulate hair growth will be impacted as a downstream consequence (rather like a domino wave) of changes in thyroid control.

Stress, shock or trauma can also result in hair loss. Also called Telogen Effluvium, this form of hair loss usually occurs three or so months after the trigger event. This occurs because the response mounted by the body in response to these situations involves the release of massive amounts of adrenal and even androgenic hormones. Sensitive follicles arrest and hair ceases to be produced (complete baldness can sometimes result, in both men and women). Growth is generally completely restored once the trigger episode wanes.

In women, major shifts in the balance of reproductive hormones can result in hair loss. As such, pregnancy, menopause and childbirth all commonly result in thinning or more sudden hair loss. A good deal of hair can be lost during the first six post-natal months, but this usually re-grows normally once hormone levels settle down back to normal. Similarly, oral contraceptives (birth control pills), patches and contraceptive injections can trigger female hair loss. This is because many contain androgenic progestogen (a progesterone chemically similar to testosterone), a hormone that can render follicles sensitive to, albeit reversible, arrest.
Tumors of hormone producing organs such as the ovaries, testes and adrenal glands, will result in the massive, uncontrolled production of alopecia-triggering androgenic hormones and as a consequence, can trigger hair loss in both men and women. Although rare, hormone-secreting tumors are the most serious and insidious causes of hormone imbalances.

Medications and treatments

Hair loss is a side effect of a number of commonly used medications. In fact, as many as 200 medicines and drugs list hair loss as a possible side effect. These include commonly prescribed blood pressure medications, anti-depressants and blood thinning drugs. Your doctor or pharmacist should advise you if hair loss is expected with any medication they prescribe. You can always check the technical insert supplied with any drug to see if this if this may be a more rare risk factor. Cytotoxic drugs used in cancer chemotherapy kill follicle cells as well as cancer cells, so hair loss with these treatments is common. Radiation therapy can also result in sufficient follicular damage to induce arrest and consequent hair loss.

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