Are You Confident of the Diagnosis? What to be alert for in the history Anagen effluvium refers to rapid hair loss, mainly affecting the scalp. It most often occurs 7-14 days after chemotherapy exposure. Full hair loss occurs after 1-2 months. Characteristic findings on physical examination On physical examination, diffuse hair thinning up to complete…
Are You Confident of the Diagnosis? What you should be alert for in the history Patients often report that hair no longer grows. They also often complain that the scalp “hurts” in the areas of increased tension. The onset of traction alopecia is slow and insidious, often without any symptoms. It is localized most commonly…
Are You Confident of the Diagnosis? What you should be alert for in the history History will include a sudden onset of diffuse shedding. Patients often carry a bag of hair (see Figure 1). Women may report a fear of going bald. Figure 1. Telogen effluvium. Not uncommonly patients will bring in bags of hair…
Alopecia Areata (AA) 704.01 Are You Confident of the Diagnosis? What you should be alert for in the history The history is notable for a sudden onset of asymptomatic patchy, nonscarring hair loss that is often associated with spontaneous regrowth within 1 to 3 months. Recurrence is common and cannot be predicted. A prodrome of…
Male and Female Pattern Hair Loss Are You Confident of the Diagnosis? Male and female pattern hair loss presents with the characteristic patterns of hair thinning. The authors prefer the term male/female pattern hair loss, in place of androgenetic alopecia, because serum androgen levels are normal in the majority of patients and 50% of the…
