Alopecia totalis

Alopecia areata or alopecia totalis has been noted in isolated cases (SEDA-21, 384). 

Generalized urticaria, pruritus, and dyspepsia developed in a previously healthy individual who used dinitrochlorobenzene for alopecia totalis all the symptoms disappeared within 10 days after the drug was withdrawn, but returned after reintroduction (1). 

Galbraith GM, Thiers BH, Jensen J, Hoehler F. A randomized double-blind study of inosiplex (isoprinosine) therapy in patients with alopecia totalis. J Am Acad Dermatol 1987 16(5 Pt l) 977-83. 

Reddy V+, Nephrol Dial Transplant 16(7), 1525 Alopecia totalis... 

Alopecia areata, another form of hair loss, is believed to be related to the immune system (e.g., autoimmunity). This disease generally occurs as patchy baldness on an otherwise normal scalp, although sometimes hair of other body regions is affected. When the entire scalp is involved, the condition is called alopecia totalis. If terminal hair loss occurs over the entire body, a rare condition, it is called alopecia universalis. Emotional stress has been shown to be one of the initiating causes of areata. Topical application of steroids is sometimes used to treat this condition. 

C. An erythrodermic rash (boiled-lobster appearance) Is followed by exfoliation after 2-5 days. Alopecia totalis has been reported. 

Holocarboxylase synthetase deficiency [3, 4] is the classic infantile form of multiple carboxylase deficiency. Untreated it is uniformly fatal, while early diagnosis and treatment with biotin usually lead to the disappearance of all of the manifestations of the disease. Life-threatening illness is associated with massive ketosis and metabolic acidosis. A bright red cutaneous eruption may cover the body, and there is alopecia totalis. Immune function, both T and B cell, may be defective. 

The two most typical scenarios are the appearance of alopecia areata (or totalis or universalis) and patterned alopecia in the work place. The workers, understandably, on finding similarly involved coworkers, assume causality. As both conditions are common - alopecia areata in 1.7% of the population studied (Jackow et al. 1998) and patterned alopecia, almost ubiquitous - the opportunity for confusion is obvious. It is conceivable that alopecia areata and patterned alopecia could be related to exogenous chemicals, but this has not been documented. 

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