Alopecia areata is a chronic, relapsing, immune-mediated inflammatory disorder affecting hair follicles resulting in nonscarring hair loss. The severity of the disorder ranges from small patches of alopecia on any hair-bearing area to the complete loss of scalp, eyebrow, eyelash, and body hair. The management of alopecia areata involves both addressing the psychological needs of the patient and offering treatment to patients who desire intervention. A variety of topical, intralesional, and systemic agents, as well as devices, have been used for alopecia areata, but the response to treatment varies widely; few well-designed clinical trials have evaluated these therapies.This volume is organized in reference format allowing the reader to go directly to any chapter without first reading a preceding chapter. Logically arranged separate chapters cover:
◆Epidemiology - distribution of disease
◆Etiology or Aetiology - disease cause and risk factors
◆Diagnosis - disease identification
◆Signs and Symptoms - physical/psychological nature of the disease
◆Pathophysiology - the body's response to disease
◆Treatment and Therapy - methods to relieve or heal a disorder
◆Prognosis - likely course or outcome of a medical condition
Additional sections also provide readers with resources available for studying alternative medicine and complementary medicine, the role of nutrition in disease, information sources on drugs and prescription medications, herbal remedies, and biotechnology, and a short explanation of Evidence-Based Medicine, the dominant paradigm inpatient care and treatment in Western medicine.
