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Diffuse (symptomatic) baldness
Last reviewed: 08.07.2025
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Daily hair loss (up to 100) evenly over the entire surface of the scalp is a physiological process; the follicle that has lost its hair again enters the anagen phase and alopecia does not develop. However, under the influence of various external and internal factors, the asynchrony of hair cycles inherent in humans is disrupted and excessive (up to 1000 per day) hair loss occurs, which leads to diffuse alopecia. Diffuse alopecia is reversible; eliminating the cause of the disease helps stop hair loss and resume hair growth.
Diffuse alopecia may be one of the symptoms of endocrine diseases (hypo- and hyperthyroidism, decreased pituitary function, hypercorticism, etc.), may occur as a reaction to taking many medications (cytostatics, anticoagulants, D-penicillamine, antithyroid drugs, retinoids, antimalarial drugs, lithium carbonate, ibuprofen, butyrophenone; cholesterol-lowering drugs, and many others), emotional and physical stress (childbirth, accidental or surgical trauma, fever); exogenous and metabolic hypoproteinemia, including blood loss, starvation and adherence to a strict diet; professional or accidental contact with certain chemicals (chloroprene, boron nitrate, thallium, arsenic, mercury, etc.), deficiency of iron, zinc and other minerals, malignant neoplasms, etc.
The extreme diversity of possible causes of symptomatic alopecia suggests that the disease is equally common in both sexes, but since episodes of increased hair loss are transient, many patients, mainly men, do not seek medical attention, which makes it difficult to obtain reliable statistical data. The rarity of publications on diffuse alopecia in men is explained not only by the reversibility of the disease, but also by the traditionally less attention of men to their appearance, as well as short haircuts, which make hair loss less noticeable.
The majority of patients complaining of increased hair loss are women. The imaginary prospect of "going bald like a man" often causes depression in female patients. The opposite situation is also possible, when existing depression makes one painfully experience physiological hair loss.
The most common reaction of follicles to various negative effects is telogen hair loss, much rarer is anagen hair loss. Some medications and chemicals (cytostatics, thallium, etc.) can cause a dual reaction of hair follicles: anagen hair loss - at high doses of the substance and telogen hair loss - at low doses.
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