Hair Loss
One of the first symptoms of lupus is thinning hair. The loss of hair is often due to inflammation of the scalp and skin. Hair loss could be alarming because some lupus patients lose clumps of hair at a time. For most patients, though, the thinning of their hair occurs slowly, but some people can also experience thinning of their eyelashes, other body hair, eyebrows, and beard. Additionally, lupus causes hair to look ragged, become brittle, and break easily.
While lupus treatment usually leads to renewed hair growth, developing lesions on the scalp could result in permanent hair loss in those parts.
Lupus causes skin problems, such as sores and rashes on the scalp, which can directly cause thinning hair or hair loss. But hair loss could also be the side effect of some of the medicines used for lupus treatment, such as immunosuppressants and steroids. Therefore, lupus patients should immediately talk to their doctor should they notice their hair is thinning or they are losing their hair in patches. In most cases, the lost hair would grow back after the doctor brings the lupus flare-up under control.
