Alopecia Areata
Pronunciation: al-oh-PEE-sha air-ee-AH-tah
An autoimmune condition causing non-scarring, patchy hair loss on the scalp or body due to T-cell-mediated attack on hair follicles.
Full Definition
Alopecia areata is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease in which lymphocytes target anagen-phase hair follicles, resulting in abrupt, non-scarring, patchy hair loss. The scalp is most commonly affected, but any hair-bearing site may be involved. The condition spans a clinical spectrum from single patches to total scalp hair loss (alopecia totalis) and complete body hair loss (alopecia universalis). Editors must correctly render 'areata' (not 'areato' or 'areatus') and should note that the two-word Latin designation is not italicised in general medical usage in most major style guides, unlike binomial species names. It should not be confused with scarring (cicatricial) alopecias, which permanently destroy the follicle.
Usage
Usage note: Do not italicise in standard clinical documentation; do not abbreviate to 'AA' in formal documents without prior expansion. Distinguish from other alopecias by the non-scarring characteristic.
In Context
- "The patient was diagnosed with alopecia areata following the finding of smooth, non-scarred patches of hair loss with exclamation mark hairs at the periphery." — Dermatology outpatient letter
- "The editor confirmed that 'alopecia areata' does not require italics in the journal's house style." — Style query response