<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

In a post a few days ago I mentioned briefly that I have alopecia areata
(translated to mean baldness in spots).  I've gotten enough
questions that I thought I would just post something to the list.

Eleven years ago I had a baby and about a month later my hair started
falling out in clumps.  My son would grab my hair like baby's do and
whatever he had in his hand would come out.  By the time he was 6 months
old my baldness problem was so bad I looked like I had undergone cancer
treatment.  I had to wear a wig.

In this same time period I started having diarrhea problems.  My doctor
told me I had irritable bowl and to take fiber laxative.  He had no answer
for my hair.  I started going to a dermatologist for my hair which he
treated with steroid injections in the bald areas, prednisone, temovate
scalp application and more.  Steriods all the way.  I mentioned to him my
diarrhea problems but this didn't bring new answers.

I do have nice looking hair at this time, but keeping it is a constant
steriod trip.

I switched internal medicine doctors several times due to HMO situations
and finally ended up with a *great* doctor who thought I should be tested
for sprue.  I tested positive in both the blood tests and biopsy.

While visiting with my GI doctor I mentioned my hair auto-immune problem
and he told me that that is related to sprue.

A friend of mine shared an article in "Lifeline" that I would like to
bring to anyone with baldness problems attention.  It was published in
Winter 1997 Volume xv No 1.  page 22 in the research notes.

"Celiac Disease and Alopecia Areata" by helen Hauschild

Celiac Disease is frequently associated with other auto-immune disorders
but has never been reported in association with alopecia areata.  In a
routine clinical practive, 3 patients with such an association were
observed.  In one of the patients, a 14-year-old boy, gluten-free diet
resulted in complete regrowth of scalp and body hair.
 ...The results (of as study the article tells of) show that alopecia
areata may constitute the only clinical manifestation of celiac disease
(for the people in the study)  and that the association between these two
conditions is real one because that observed frequency ofassociation is
much greater than can be expected by chance.  It is suggested that
antigliadin and antiendomysial antibodies should be included in the
work-up of patients with alopecia areata.

I just diagnosed with sprue and started a GF diet less than a month ago so
I cannot report any hair results yet, but I'll keep you posted.

My regards to anyone else whose has had to go through the emotional
difficulties of female baldness.

Sue