Alopecia universalis

Skrebova N, Nameda Y, Takiwaki H, Arase S. Severe dermographism after topical therapy with diphenylcyclo-propenone for alopecia universalis. Contact Dermatitis 2000 42(4) 212-15. 

Garcia Bartels N +, Arch Dermatol 142(12), I 654 Alopecia universalis... 

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. 

Teutonico A, Libutti P, Lomonte C, Basile C. Simvastatin-induced myoglobi-nuric acute kidney injury following ciclosporin treatment for alopecia universalis. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2010 3 273-5. 

The main environmental pathway of occupational exposure to selenium is through the air or, in some cases, by direct dermal contact. Srivastava et al. (1995) reports a worker employed in this type of job for 6 months who presented with alopecia areata, which later deteriorated to alopecia universalis. This patient s blood selenium levels were 0.5 pg/ml. Yang et al. (1983) reported mean blood selenium levels of 3.2 mg/1 in a selenium rich area in China where chronic selenosis was common. Mean normal blood selenium in different states of the U.S. and China range from 0.082 mg/ml to 0.206 mg/1. In spite of much work, knowledge about the health effects of occupational exposure to selenium is far from complete (Srivastava et al. 1995). Since alopecia areata is common in 1.7% of the population studied (Jackow et al. 1998), this report requires follow-up before a cause and effect relationship can be assumed. 

Alopecia universalis was seen in a 70-year-old male on day 20 of daily treatment with albendazole 15mg/kg/ day for Echinococcus. Alopecia fully recovered 1 month after stopping the medication [lO ]. 

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. 

A 3-year-old boy who had had an anticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome developed alopecia areata universalis while convalescent [236 ]. Skin histology showed perifolhcular, peribulbar, and suprabulbar lymphocyte infiltration. 

Huang YL, Hsieh MY, Hsiao PF, Sheen JM, Yu HR, Kuo HC, Chen ST, Huang JL, Yang KD, Lee WI. Alopecia areata universalis after phenobarbital-induced anticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome. Immunol Invest 2009 38(5) 383-97. 

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