Alopecia Areata And Celiac Disease

Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder, is frequently present in people who also have other autoimmune conditions, such as diabetes, thyroid disease, and autoimmune liver disease. Less well known, however, is an association between celiac disease and alopecia areata.

What Is Alopecia Areata?

Alopecia areata is a condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles. Alopecia areata usually starts with one or more small, round, smooth bald patches on the head and can eventually cause complete hair loss on the scalp or even on the entire body (a condition known as alopecia universalis).

Alopecia areata usually begins in childhood. It affects males and females equally. Approximately 2% of the population overall, including more than 5 million people in the United States, have alopecia areata.

What Is Known About Alopecia And Celiac Disease?

One of the first research studies linking alopecia with celiac disease was published in 1995. Italian doctors had noticed that several of their patients with alopecia also had celiac disease, and that in one of these patients -- a 14-year-old boy -- the missing hair on his scalp and body completely regrew after he adopted a gluten-free diet. This boy's case, and a few others, prompted the doctors to screen a large group of alopecia patients for celiac disease.

In fact, the doctors did find a relatively high rate of celiac disease in their patients - much greater than could be expected by chance. On the basis of this study, the doctors recommended that celiac disease antibody testing should be performed in all patients with alopecia areata.

Since then, there have been other medical research reports of celiac disease in association with alopecia areata.

Can A Gluten-Free Diet Help Reverse Alopecia Areata?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for alopecia areata. Most, but not all, of the research reports that describe patients with alopecia and celiac disease also report that the patients' hair grew back after they adopted a gluten-free diet. Even in people without celiac disease, however, the course of alopecia is very unpredictable, and sometimes the hair simply grows back by itself.

Where To Get More Information

More information about alopecia areata can be found at The National Alopecia Areata Foundation and The American Academy of Dermatology.

_Sources:

Corazza GR et al. Celiac disease and alopecia areata: report of a new association. Gastroenterology 1995; 109:1333-7.

Naveh Y et al. Celiac disease-associated alopecia in childhood. J Pediatr 1999;134:362-4.

Bardella MT et al. Alopecia areata and coeliac disease: no effect of a gluten-free diet on hair growth. Dermatology 2000;200:108-10.

Barbato M et al. Alopecia and coeliac disease: report of two patients showing response to gluten-free diet.

The National Alopecia Areata Foundation

The American Academy of Dermatology.