Possible Causes of Hair Loss

Hair loss can occur for many reasons. Some of these may include: 

• Age is a common cause not only for men but for women, too.

• Alopecia is an autoimmune condition (condition in which the body's immune system attacks another site in the body) that is more common in people with Down syndrome. A brief description of alopecia is available in our Resource Library. Additional therapies (not mentioned in the brief description) that are being studied include immunotherapy medications. A study at the University of Colorado  is researching these medications in people with Down syndrome.

• Nutritional deficiencies such as iron, biotin, zinc, or protein.

• Hairstyles that pull on the hair too tightly.

• Fungal infections.

• Thyroid disease, including hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.

• Elevated androgens (a type of hormone that is found in men and women).

• Toxic substances such as chemotherapy and some other medications.

• Trichotillomania, hair loss from repeated urges to pull or twist the hair until it breaks off. 

• Stress

The Cleveland Clinic  and the American Academy of Dermatology  both have nice summaries of causes of hair loss. We recommend an evaluation by a primary care provider or dermatologist to review the possible causes and develop a plan of treatment for hair loss.