Autoimmune Dysfunction: Alopecia?

Alopecia areata (AA), a hair-loss disease often considered similar to psoriasis because of the inflammation and T-cell involvement, shares many genetic associations with a broad spectrum of autoimmune diseases, according to a study appearing in the July issue of Nature. Hair loss in AA results from "collapse of immune privilege" in hair follicles, such that a person's own immune system attacks and destroys cells of their hair follicles. Interestingly, AA attacks pigmented hairs more actively than nonpigmented hairs. Thus, selective loss of pigmented hair, causing people to become "gray overnight," could actually result from acute AA onset during intense stress or grief. Researchers discovered the other autoimmune disorders with similar genetic polymorphisms were type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, Graves' disease, annd psoriasis, among others.

Bonnie - there is a dietary substance that links many of the aforementioned autoimmune disorders, including Alopecia: it is called gluten.