Comment by Jason on December 30, 2013 at 10:00pm

Thyroid issues definitely can and do contribute to hairloss. It may be your underlying cause or just a small piece of it. Thyroid is definitely important so I would certainly recommend working to improve those levels and maybe you will see an improvement in your health. I'm a big believer in if the underlying cause is addressed, the hair will grow back. Anyways, I wish you the best of luck with this. 

Comment by Melsi on January 1, 2014 at 3:13pm

hello Jackie, 

i have the same issues. i had thyroid issues at age of 13 than when i was 14 i got my alopecia :( 

so i "think" that thyroid causes hair loss but not alopecia (because doctors don't confirm that)

i'm still suffring from thyroid cancer and i am bald 

i wish you all the best ans happy new year :)

Comment by kastababy on January 3, 2014 at 2:48pm

Hi Jackie,

I've had alopecia since I was 4 years old.  From the time I was a young girl, I've been tested regularly for thyroid issues, because my dermatologist knew that there was a link (unexplored at the time) between thyroid irregularities and hair loss in general.  When I was 23 years old, I was diagnosed as hypothyroid, and I have been on synthetic T4 replacement ever since.  If you need a very good resource for thyroid-specific issues, please visit The Thyroid Blog (http://thyroid.about.com).  Mary Shomon is probably the single most active and vocal thyroid disease advocate in the world, and she provides really good information regarding thyroid function, thyroid disease symptoms, what you should be testing for, and how to live a normal life with thyroid issues.  January is also Thyroid Disease Awareness Month, so don't be afraid to ask your endocrinologist, if you have one, as many questions as you need to be fully educated about what is happening to your thyroid.

You have your tests correct:  TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone, which should be in the -0.3-3.0 range), Total T4 (Total Thyroxine), Free T4 (Free Thyroxine), Total T3 (Total Triiodothyronine), Free T3 (Free Triiodothyronine), and Reverse T3 (Reverse Triiodothyronine).  Your endocrinologist *should* be running all of these tests, but may order additional tests to have a complete diagnosis.

Mary, in her Thyroid Blog, goes into detail about hair loss as a symptom of thyroid disease, and hair loss due to alopecia areata.  I've consulted with her over the years, and filled in the gaps for her, so to speak, where the hair loss is questionable or is attributed to both.  The short answer to your main question, therefore, is that it depends on the location of the hair loss and if it returns once your thyroid treatment is optimized.  I always recommend being seen by both a dermatologist and an endocrinologist, because having the two specialists consult with one another is the only real way to get a complete picture of what is really happening.

In my research over the years, it's interesting to me to note that almost every alopecian develops a thyroid issue (whether it be hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or other), yet not every thyroid patient develops alopecia.  It alludes to the autoimmune system's role in both diseases that bears additional research.

I hope my information helps you out tremendously.  I wish you the best of luck and good health!

Please keep us posted on what you learn; I would be fascinated to hear how it turns out!

Comment by Jackie on January 4, 2014 at 4:24pm

Thank you for your information, kastababy. I have both a dermatologist and endocrinologist. However, it is always frustrating to go to either. The endo. says that my thyroid continues to be fine and my derm. wants to keep trying different drugs. I am completely bald on my scalp and losing hair elsewhere, too. I go in for a thyroid scan in a few days and hope to find more answers.

Comment by sharon on March 28, 2014 at 4:43pm

 its frustrating, because I have every symptom for hypothyroid,and my tests still say in the normal range.

 

fatigue every day

weight gain hard to shift

erratic,heavy menstrual cycle

loss of libido

hairloss

brittle nails

foggy brain.

but blood tests keep coming back normal, I am sure you do not get these symptoms with AA / HAIRLOSS.

any suggestions welcome

 

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