Sickle cell anemia has no widely available cure. However, treatments can help relieve symptoms and treat complications. The goals of treating sickle cell anemia are to relieve pain; prevent infections, eye damage, and strokes; and control complications (if they occur).
Bone marrow transplants may offer a cure in a small number of sickle cell anemia cases. Researchers continue to look for new treatments for the disease. These include gene therapy and improved bone marrow transplants.
Specialists Involved
People who have sickle cell anemia need regular medical care. Some doctors and clinics specialize in treating people who have the disease. Hematologists and pediatric hematologists specialize in treating adults and children who have blood diseases and disorders.
Treating Pain
Medicines and Fluids
Mild pain often is treated with over-the-counter medicine and heating pads. Severe pain may need to be treated in a hospital.
The usual treatments for acute (short-term) pain crises are fluids and pain-killing medicines. Fluids help prevent dehydration, a condition in which your body doesn't have enough fluids. Fluids are given either by mouth or through a vein.
Common medicines used to treat pain crises include acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and narcotics such as meperidine, morphine, oxycodone, and others. (Narcotic abuse and addiction are issues that must be considered in any pain control plan.)
Treatment for mild-to-moderate pain usually begins with NSAIDs or acetaminophen. If pain continues, a narcotic may be added. Moderate-to-severe pain is often treated with narcotics. The narcotic may be used alone or with NSAIDs or acetaminophen.
Hydroxyurea
If you have severe sickle cell anemia, you may need a medicine called hydroxyurea. This medicine helps reduce the number of painful crises you have. Hydroxyurea is used to prevent painful crises, not to treat them when they occur.
Given daily, this medicine reduces how often painful crises and acute chest syndrome occur. People taking the medicine also need fewer blood transfusions and have fewer hospital visits.
Early studies of hydroxyurea in children show that they have improved growth. These studies also suggest that this medicine may help preserve organ function.
Hydroxyurea can cause serious side effects, including an increased risk for dangerous infections. People who take hydroxyurea must be carefully watched. Your doctor may need to adjust the dose of this medicine to reduce the risk for side effects.
Doctors are studying the long-term effects of hydroxyurea on people who have sickle cell anemia. Studies are under way to find out whether hydroxurea prevents organ damage or other sickle cell complications.
Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking hydroxyurea.
Preventing Complications
Blood transfusions are commonly used to treat worsening anemia and sickle cell complications. A sudden worsening of anemia due to an infection or enlargement of the spleen is a common reason for a blood transfusion.
Some, but not all, people who have sickle cell anemia need blood transfusions to prevent life-threatening problems such as stroke or pneumonia.
Having routine blood transfusions can cause side effects. Patients must be carefully watched. Side effects can include a dangerous buildup of iron in the blood (which must be treated) and an increased risk of infection from the transfused blood.
For more information, see the Diseases and Conditions Index Blood Transfusion article.
Infections
Infections are a major complication of sickle cell anemia. In fact, pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children who have sickle cell anemia. Other common infections linked to sickle cell anemia include meningitis, influenza, and hepatitis.
If a child who has sickle cell anemia shows early signs of an infection, such as fever, seek treatment right away.
To prevent infections in babies and young children, treatments include:
Daily doses of penicillin. Treatment may begin as early as 2 months of age and continue until the child is at least 5 years old.
All routine vaccinations (such as a yearly flu shot) plus the meningococcal vaccine.
Adults who have sickle cell anemia also should have flu shots every year and get vaccinated for pneumonia.
Eye Damage
Sickle cell anemia can damage the blood vessels in the eyes. Parents should ask their child's doctor about regular checkups with an eye doctor who specializes in diseases of the retina. The retina is a thin layer of tissue inside the back of the eye.
Adults who have sickle cell anemia also should have regular checkups with an eye doctor.
Strokes
Stroke prevention and treatment is now possible for children and adults who have sickle cell anemia. Starting at age 2, children who have sickle cell anemia often get routine ultrasound scans of their heads. This is called transcranial Doppler ultrasound. These scans are used to check blood flow in the brain.
The scans allow doctors to find out which children are at high risk for a stroke. These children are then treated with routine blood transfusions. This treatment has been found to greatly reduce the number of strokes in children.
Treating Other Complications
Acute chest syndrome is a severe and life-threatening complication of sickle cell anemia. Treatment usually requires hospitalization and may include oxygen, blood transfusions, antibiotics, pain medicine, and checking the body's fluids.
If you have leg ulcers due to sickle cell anemia, you may be given strong pain medicines. Ulcers can be treated with cleansing solutions and medicated creams or ointments. Skin grafts may be needed if the condition continues. Bed rest and keeping the legs raised to reduce swelling are helpful, although not always possible.
Gallbladder surgery may be needed if the presence of gallstones leads to gallbladder disease.
Priapism (a painful erection in males) can be treated with fluids or surgery.
Regular Health Care for Children
Children who have sickle cell anemia need regular health care (just like children who don't have the disease). They need to have their growth checked. They also need to get the routine shots that all children get.
All children younger than 2 need to see the doctor often. Children who have sickle cell anemia may need additional checkups. After age 2, children who have sickle cell anemia may need to see the doctor less often, but usually at least every 6 months.
These visits are a time for parents to talk with their child's doctor and ask questions about the child's care. Talk with your child's doctor about eye checkups and whether your child needs an ultrasound scan of the brain.
Until age 5, daily penicillin is given to most children who have sickle cell anemia. Doctors also give many children a vitamin called folic acid (folate) to help prevent some sickle cell complications.
New Treatments
Research on bone marrow transplants, gene therapy, and new medicines for sickle cell anemia is ongoing. The hope is that these studies will provide better treatments for sickle cell anemia. Researchers also are looking for a way to predict the severity of the disease.
Bone Marrow Transplant
A bone marrow transplant can work well for treating sickle cell anemia. This treatment may even offer a cure in a small number of cases.
However, the procedure is risky and can lead to serious side effects or even death. Because of this, only some people can or should have this procedure.
Bone marrow transplants usually are used only for young patients who have severe sickle cell anemia. However, the decision to give this treatment is made on a case-by-case basis.
Bone marrow used for a transplant must come from a closely matched donor. This is usually a close family member who doesn't have sickle cell anemia.
Researchers continue to look for ways to reduce the risks of this procedure.
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is being studied as a possible treatment for sickle cell anemia. Researchers want to know whether a normal gene can be put in the bone marrow of a person who has sickle cell anemia. This would cause the body to make normal red blood cells.
Researchers also are studying whether they can "turn off" the sickle cell gene or "turn on" a gene that makes red blood cells behave normally.
New Medicines
Researchers are studying several new medicines for sickle cell anemia. These include:
Butyric acid. This is a food additive that may increase normal hemoglobin in the blood.
Nitric oxide. This medicine may make sickle cells less sticky and keep blood vessels open. People who have sickle cell anemia have low levels of nitric oxide in their blood.
Decitadine. This medicine increases hemoglobin F levels (this type of hemoglobin carries more oxygen). It may be a good choice instead of hydroxyurea.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Sickle Cell Diagnosis
How Is Sickle Cell Anemia Diagnosed?
Early diagnosis of sickle cell anemia is very important. Children who have the disease need prompt and proper treatment.
In the United States, all States mandate testing for sickle cell anemia as part of their newborn screening program.
The test uses blood from the same blood samples used for other routine newborn screening tests. It can show whether a newborn infant has sickle cell anemia or sickle cell trait.
Test results are sent to your baby's primary care doctor. This is the doctor who you name on the papers you fill out at the hospital before giving birth. It's important to provide correct contact information to the hospital. This allows your baby's doctor to get the test results as quickly as possible.
If the test shows some sickle hemoglobin, a second blood test is done to confirm the diagnosis. The second test should be done as soon as possible and within the first month of life. If your baby needs a second test, the primary care doctor may send you to a hematologist. This is a doctor who specializes in blood diseases and disorders.
It's also possible for doctors to diagnose sickle cell anemia before birth. This is done using a sample of amniotic fluid or tissue taken from the placenta. (Amniotic fluid is the fluid in the sac surrounding a growing embryo. The placenta is the organ that attaches the umbilical cord to the mother's womb.)
This test can be done as early as the first few months of pregnancy. It looks for the sickle cell gene, rather than the hemoglobin that the gene makes.
Early diagnosis of sickle cell anemia is very important. Children who have the disease need prompt and proper treatment.
In the United States, all States mandate testing for sickle cell anemia as part of their newborn screening program.
The test uses blood from the same blood samples used for other routine newborn screening tests. It can show whether a newborn infant has sickle cell anemia or sickle cell trait.
Test results are sent to your baby's primary care doctor. This is the doctor who you name on the papers you fill out at the hospital before giving birth. It's important to provide correct contact information to the hospital. This allows your baby's doctor to get the test results as quickly as possible.
If the test shows some sickle hemoglobin, a second blood test is done to confirm the diagnosis. The second test should be done as soon as possible and within the first month of life. If your baby needs a second test, the primary care doctor may send you to a hematologist. This is a doctor who specializes in blood diseases and disorders.
It's also possible for doctors to diagnose sickle cell anemia before birth. This is done using a sample of amniotic fluid or tissue taken from the placenta. (Amniotic fluid is the fluid in the sac surrounding a growing embryo. The placenta is the organ that attaches the umbilical cord to the mother's womb.)
This test can be done as early as the first few months of pregnancy. It looks for the sickle cell gene, rather than the hemoglobin that the gene makes.
Signs and Symptoms of sickle cell
The signs and symptoms of sickle cell anemia vary. Some people have mild symptoms. Others have very severe symptoms and often are hospitalized for treatment.
Sickle cell anemia is present at birth, but many infants don't show any signs until after 4 months of age.
The most common signs and symptoms are linked to pain. Other signs and symptoms are linked to the disease's complications.
Signs and Symptoms Related to Anemia
The most common symptom of anemia is fatigue (feeling tired or weak). Other signs and symptoms of anemia include:
Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Headache
Coldness in the hands and feet
Pale skin
Chest pain
Signs and Symptoms Related to Pain
Sudden pain throughout the body is a common symptom of sickle cell anemia. This pain is called a "sickle cell crisis." Sickle cell crises often affect the bones, lungs, abdomen, and joints.
A sickle cell crisis occurs when sickled red blood cells form clumps in the bloodstream. (Other cells also may play a role in this clumping process.) These clumps of cells block blood flow through the small blood vessels in the limbs and organs. This can cause pain and organ damage.
The pain from sickle cell crises can be acute or chronic, but acute pain is more common. Acute pain is sudden and can range from mild to very severe. The pain usually lasts from hours to a few days. Chronic pain often lasts for weeks to months. Chronic pain can be hard to bear and mentally draining. This pain may severely limit your daily activities.
Almost all people who have sickle cell anemia have painful crises at some point in their lives. Some have these crises less than once a year. Others may have 15 or more crises in a year.
Many factors can play a role in a sickle cell crisis. Often, more than one factor is involved and the exact cause isn't known. You can control some factors. For example, your risk for a sickle cell crisis increases if you're dehydrated (your body doesn't have enough fluid). Drinking plenty of fluids can lower your risk for a painful crisis. Other factors, such as an infection, you can't control.
Painful crises are the leading cause of emergency room visits and hospitalizations of people who have sickle cell anemia.
Complications of Sickle Cell Anemia
The effects of sickle cell crises on different parts of the body can cause a number of complications.
Hand-Foot Syndrome
Sickle cells can block the small blood vessels in the hands or feet. This condition is called hand-foot syndrome. It can lead to pain, swelling, and fever. One or both hands and/or feet may be affected at the same time.
You may feel the pain in the many bones of the hands and feet. Swelling often occurs on the back of the hands and feet and moves into the fingers and toes. Hand-foot syndrome may be the first sign of sickle cell anemia in infants.
Splenic Crisis
The spleen is an organ in the abdomen. Normally, it filters out abnormal red blood cells and helps fight infection. In some cases, the spleen may trap cells that should be in the bloodstream. This causes the spleen to grow large and leads to anemia.
If the spleen gets too clogged with sickle cells, it won't work right. This can cause the spleen to shrink. If this happens, you may need blood transfusions until your body can make more cells and recover.
Infections
Both children and adults who have sickle cell anemia have a hard time fighting infections. This is because sickle cell anemia can damage the spleen, an organ that helps fight infections.
Infants and young children who have damaged spleens are more likely to get infections that can kill them within hours or days. Pneumonia is the most common cause of death in young children who have sickle cell anemia.
Meningitis, influenza, and hepatitis are other infections that are common in people who have sickle cell anemia.
Acute Chest Syndrome
Acute chest syndrome is a life-threatening condition linked to sickle cell anemia. It's similar to pneumonia. The condition is caused by an infection or sickle cells trapped in the lungs.
People who have this condition usually have chest pain and fever. Over time, lung damage from acute chest syndrome may lead to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Damage to the small blood vessels in the lungs makes it hard for the heart to pump blood through the lungs. This causes blood pressure in the lungs to rise.
Increased blood pressure in the lungs is called pulmonary arterial hypertension, or PAH. Shortness of breath and problems with breathing are the main symptoms of PAH.
Delayed Growth and Puberty in Children
Children who have sickle cell anemia often grow more slowly than other children. They also reach puberty later. A shortage of red blood cells causes the slow growth rate. Adults who have sickle cell anemia often are slender or smaller in size than other adults.
Stroke
Two forms of stroke can occur in people who have sickle cell anemia. One form occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked. The other form occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.
A stroke can cause learning disabilities and/or lasting brain damage, long-term disability, paralysis (an inability to move), or death.
Eye Problems
Sickle cells also can clog the small blood vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood to your eyes. This can damage the retinas-thin layers of tissue at the back of your eyes. The retinas take the images you see and send them to your brain.
Without enough blood, the retinas will weaken. This can cause serious problems, including blindness.
Priapism
Males who have sickle cell anemia may have painful and unwanted erections. This condition is called priapism (PRI-a-pizm). It happens because the sickle cells block blood flow out of an erect penis. Over time, priapism can damage the penis and lead to impotence.
Gallstones
When red blood cells die, they release their hemoglobin. The body breaks down this protein into a compound called bilirubin. Too much bilirubin in the body can cause stones to form in the gallbladder.
Gallstones may cause steady pain that lasts for 30 minutes or more in the upper right side of the belly, under the right shoulder, or between the shoulder blades. The pain may happen after eating fatty meals.
People who have gallstones may have nausea (feeling sick to the stomach), vomiting, fever, sweating, chills, clay-colored stools, or jaundice (a yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes).
Ulcers on the Legs
Sickle cell ulcers (sores) usually begin as small, raised, crusted sores on the lower third of the leg. Leg sores occur more often in males than in females. These sores usually appear between the ages of 10 and 50.
The cause of sickle cell ulcers isn't clear. The number of ulcers can vary from one to many. Some heal quickly, but others persist for years or come back after healing.
Multiple Organ Failure:Multiple organ failure is rare, but serious. It happens if you have a sickle cell crisis that causes two out of three major organs (lungs, liver, or kidney) to fail.
Symptoms of this complication are a fever and changes in mental status, such as sudden tiredness and loss of interest in your surroundings.
Sickle cell anemia is present at birth, but many infants don't show any signs until after 4 months of age.
The most common signs and symptoms are linked to pain. Other signs and symptoms are linked to the disease's complications.
Signs and Symptoms Related to Anemia
The most common symptom of anemia is fatigue (feeling tired or weak). Other signs and symptoms of anemia include:
Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Headache
Coldness in the hands and feet
Pale skin
Chest pain
Signs and Symptoms Related to Pain
Sudden pain throughout the body is a common symptom of sickle cell anemia. This pain is called a "sickle cell crisis." Sickle cell crises often affect the bones, lungs, abdomen, and joints.
A sickle cell crisis occurs when sickled red blood cells form clumps in the bloodstream. (Other cells also may play a role in this clumping process.) These clumps of cells block blood flow through the small blood vessels in the limbs and organs. This can cause pain and organ damage.
The pain from sickle cell crises can be acute or chronic, but acute pain is more common. Acute pain is sudden and can range from mild to very severe. The pain usually lasts from hours to a few days. Chronic pain often lasts for weeks to months. Chronic pain can be hard to bear and mentally draining. This pain may severely limit your daily activities.
Almost all people who have sickle cell anemia have painful crises at some point in their lives. Some have these crises less than once a year. Others may have 15 or more crises in a year.
Many factors can play a role in a sickle cell crisis. Often, more than one factor is involved and the exact cause isn't known. You can control some factors. For example, your risk for a sickle cell crisis increases if you're dehydrated (your body doesn't have enough fluid). Drinking plenty of fluids can lower your risk for a painful crisis. Other factors, such as an infection, you can't control.
Painful crises are the leading cause of emergency room visits and hospitalizations of people who have sickle cell anemia.
Complications of Sickle Cell Anemia
The effects of sickle cell crises on different parts of the body can cause a number of complications.
Hand-Foot Syndrome
Sickle cells can block the small blood vessels in the hands or feet. This condition is called hand-foot syndrome. It can lead to pain, swelling, and fever. One or both hands and/or feet may be affected at the same time.
You may feel the pain in the many bones of the hands and feet. Swelling often occurs on the back of the hands and feet and moves into the fingers and toes. Hand-foot syndrome may be the first sign of sickle cell anemia in infants.
Splenic Crisis
The spleen is an organ in the abdomen. Normally, it filters out abnormal red blood cells and helps fight infection. In some cases, the spleen may trap cells that should be in the bloodstream. This causes the spleen to grow large and leads to anemia.
If the spleen gets too clogged with sickle cells, it won't work right. This can cause the spleen to shrink. If this happens, you may need blood transfusions until your body can make more cells and recover.
Infections
Both children and adults who have sickle cell anemia have a hard time fighting infections. This is because sickle cell anemia can damage the spleen, an organ that helps fight infections.
Infants and young children who have damaged spleens are more likely to get infections that can kill them within hours or days. Pneumonia is the most common cause of death in young children who have sickle cell anemia.
Meningitis, influenza, and hepatitis are other infections that are common in people who have sickle cell anemia.
Acute Chest Syndrome
Acute chest syndrome is a life-threatening condition linked to sickle cell anemia. It's similar to pneumonia. The condition is caused by an infection or sickle cells trapped in the lungs.
People who have this condition usually have chest pain and fever. Over time, lung damage from acute chest syndrome may lead to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Damage to the small blood vessels in the lungs makes it hard for the heart to pump blood through the lungs. This causes blood pressure in the lungs to rise.
Increased blood pressure in the lungs is called pulmonary arterial hypertension, or PAH. Shortness of breath and problems with breathing are the main symptoms of PAH.
Delayed Growth and Puberty in Children
Children who have sickle cell anemia often grow more slowly than other children. They also reach puberty later. A shortage of red blood cells causes the slow growth rate. Adults who have sickle cell anemia often are slender or smaller in size than other adults.
Stroke
Two forms of stroke can occur in people who have sickle cell anemia. One form occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked. The other form occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.
A stroke can cause learning disabilities and/or lasting brain damage, long-term disability, paralysis (an inability to move), or death.
Eye Problems
Sickle cells also can clog the small blood vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood to your eyes. This can damage the retinas-thin layers of tissue at the back of your eyes. The retinas take the images you see and send them to your brain.
Without enough blood, the retinas will weaken. This can cause serious problems, including blindness.
Priapism
Males who have sickle cell anemia may have painful and unwanted erections. This condition is called priapism (PRI-a-pizm). It happens because the sickle cells block blood flow out of an erect penis. Over time, priapism can damage the penis and lead to impotence.
Gallstones
When red blood cells die, they release their hemoglobin. The body breaks down this protein into a compound called bilirubin. Too much bilirubin in the body can cause stones to form in the gallbladder.
Gallstones may cause steady pain that lasts for 30 minutes or more in the upper right side of the belly, under the right shoulder, or between the shoulder blades. The pain may happen after eating fatty meals.
People who have gallstones may have nausea (feeling sick to the stomach), vomiting, fever, sweating, chills, clay-colored stools, or jaundice (a yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes).
Ulcers on the Legs
Sickle cell ulcers (sores) usually begin as small, raised, crusted sores on the lower third of the leg. Leg sores occur more often in males than in females. These sores usually appear between the ages of 10 and 50.
The cause of sickle cell ulcers isn't clear. The number of ulcers can vary from one to many. Some heal quickly, but others persist for years or come back after healing.
Multiple Organ Failure:Multiple organ failure is rare, but serious. It happens if you have a sickle cell crisis that causes two out of three major organs (lungs, liver, or kidney) to fail.
Symptoms of this complication are a fever and changes in mental status, such as sudden tiredness and loss of interest in your surroundings.
Hair loss nad Remdies
What Causes Hair Loss?The most common causes being hereditary, some debilitating illness, side effects of certain medications, problems in the scalp and hair shafts, as well as from psychological imbalances.
GENETIC CUASE:The most common cause of baldnes is genetic predispositon.In these persons a group of hormones, called androgens, interferes with the natural hair growth cycle.These hormones are made in men's bodies in large amounts, and in women's bodies in small amounts.These hormones, over time, causes the hair follicles to begin shrinking, which in turn alters the natural resting and growth phases of the hair. Some of the follicles eventually die, while others are rendered incapable of producing or maintaining healthy hair growth. The end result is the hair loss -a condition that is medically known as androgenic alopecia.
MEDICAL CAUSES:A number of factors can cause excessive hair loss,
Severe illness
Hormonal Imbalance.
Autoimmune disorders.
After delivery.
Local inflammatory conditions.
Low serum ironCERTAIN MEDICINES.Some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medicines that can cause hair loss include,
anticoagulants
anti- gout,
chemotherapy to treat cancer,
vitamin A (if too much is taken),
birth control pills
antidepressants.
CERTAIN DISEASES:Like un-controlled diabetes, anemia, lupus.IMPROPER HAIR CARE.If you wear pigtails or cornrows or use tight hair rollers, the pull on your hair can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia . If the pulling is stopped before scarring of the scalp develops, your hair will grow back normally. However, scarring can cause permanent hair loss. Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in permanents (also called "perms") may cause inflammation (swelling) of the hair follicle, which can result in scarring and hair loss.
OTHER CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS:include mental stress, poor nutrition, especiall lack of proteins and iron, high grade fever for long time.
SOME REMEDIES
Egg yolk and Olive oil:Massage the hair and scalp with raw egg yolk and 2 table spoons of olive oil (alter the quantity according to your hair thickness) leave it for an hour than wash well. Repeat once a weak. This is a well known natural cure for baldness.
Castor Oil
Apply castor oil to the roots of your hairs and scalp, massage gently and leave for some time. (Some good hair oil can be added to increase the bulk) Castor oil promotes the follicles to give you healthy hairs. This was among most popular home remedies for hair loss in old Egyptian civilization. It can also be used to promote healthy eye lashes.
GENETIC CUASE:The most common cause of baldnes is genetic predispositon.In these persons a group of hormones, called androgens, interferes with the natural hair growth cycle.These hormones are made in men's bodies in large amounts, and in women's bodies in small amounts.These hormones, over time, causes the hair follicles to begin shrinking, which in turn alters the natural resting and growth phases of the hair. Some of the follicles eventually die, while others are rendered incapable of producing or maintaining healthy hair growth. The end result is the hair loss -a condition that is medically known as androgenic alopecia.
MEDICAL CAUSES:A number of factors can cause excessive hair loss,
Severe illness
Hormonal Imbalance.
Autoimmune disorders.
After delivery.
Local inflammatory conditions.
Low serum ironCERTAIN MEDICINES.Some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medicines that can cause hair loss include,
anticoagulants
anti- gout,
chemotherapy to treat cancer,
vitamin A (if too much is taken),
birth control pills
antidepressants.
CERTAIN DISEASES:Like un-controlled diabetes, anemia, lupus.IMPROPER HAIR CARE.If you wear pigtails or cornrows or use tight hair rollers, the pull on your hair can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia . If the pulling is stopped before scarring of the scalp develops, your hair will grow back normally. However, scarring can cause permanent hair loss. Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in permanents (also called "perms") may cause inflammation (swelling) of the hair follicle, which can result in scarring and hair loss.
OTHER CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS:include mental stress, poor nutrition, especiall lack of proteins and iron, high grade fever for long time.
SOME REMEDIES
Egg yolk and Olive oil:Massage the hair and scalp with raw egg yolk and 2 table spoons of olive oil (alter the quantity according to your hair thickness) leave it for an hour than wash well. Repeat once a weak. This is a well known natural cure for baldness.
Castor Oil
Apply castor oil to the roots of your hairs and scalp, massage gently and leave for some time. (Some good hair oil can be added to increase the bulk) Castor oil promotes the follicles to give you healthy hairs. This was among most popular home remedies for hair loss in old Egyptian civilization. It can also be used to promote healthy eye lashes.
What Causes Hair LossThe most common causes being hereditary, some debilitating illness, side effects of certain medications, problems in the scalp and hair shafts, as well as from psychological imbalances.
GENETIC CUASE:The most common cause of baldnes is genetic predispositon.In these persons a group of hormones, called androgens, interferes with the natural hair growth cycle.These hormones are made in men's bodies in large amounts, and in women's bodies in small amounts.These hormones, over time, causes the hair follicles to begin shrinking, which in turn alters the natural resting and growth phases of the hair. Some of the follicles eventually die, while others are rendered incapable of producing or maintaining healthy hair growth. The end result is the hair loss -a condition that is medically known as androgenic alopecia.
MEDICAL CAUSES:A number of factors can cause excessive hair loss,
Severe illness
Hormonal Imbalance.
Autoimmune disorders.
After delivery.
Local inflammatory conditions.
Low serum iron.
CERTAIN MEDICINES.Some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medicines that can cause hair loss include,
anticoagulants
anti- gout,
chemotherapy to treat cancer,
vitamin A (if too much is taken),
birth control pills
antidepressants.
CERTAIN DISEASES:Like un-controlled diabetes, anemia, lupus.
IMPROPER HAIR CARE.If you wear pigtails or cornrows or use tight hair rollers, the pull on your hair can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia . If the pulling is stopped before scarring of the scalp develops, your hair will grow back normally. However, scarring can cause permanent hair loss. Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in permanents (also called "perms") may cause inflammation (swelling) of the hair follicle, which can result in scarring and hair loss.
OTHER CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS: include mental stress, poor nutrition, especiall lack of proteins and iron, high grade fever for long time.
GENETIC CUASE:The most common cause of baldnes is genetic predispositon.In these persons a group of hormones, called androgens, interferes with the natural hair growth cycle.These hormones are made in men's bodies in large amounts, and in women's bodies in small amounts.These hormones, over time, causes the hair follicles to begin shrinking, which in turn alters the natural resting and growth phases of the hair. Some of the follicles eventually die, while others are rendered incapable of producing or maintaining healthy hair growth. The end result is the hair loss -a condition that is medically known as androgenic alopecia.
MEDICAL CAUSES:A number of factors can cause excessive hair loss,
Severe illness
Hormonal Imbalance.
Autoimmune disorders.
After delivery.
Local inflammatory conditions.
Low serum iron.
CERTAIN MEDICINES.Some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medicines that can cause hair loss include,
anticoagulants
anti- gout,
chemotherapy to treat cancer,
vitamin A (if too much is taken),
birth control pills
antidepressants.
CERTAIN DISEASES:Like un-controlled diabetes, anemia, lupus.
IMPROPER HAIR CARE.If you wear pigtails or cornrows or use tight hair rollers, the pull on your hair can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia . If the pulling is stopped before scarring of the scalp develops, your hair will grow back normally. However, scarring can cause permanent hair loss. Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in permanents (also called "perms") may cause inflammation (swelling) of the hair follicle, which can result in scarring and hair loss.
OTHER CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS: include mental stress, poor nutrition, especiall lack of proteins and iron, high grade fever for long time.
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