Neuroendocrine perspectives in alopecia areata: does stress play a role?
Until recently, the popular notion that psychoemotional stress can have an impact on hair growth has been treated with skepticism and assigned to the realm of folklore by many authorities. Yet it has long been appreciated that episodes of alopecia areata (AA) have occurred after severely stressful life events (Reinhold, 1960; Whitlock, 1976). This has triggered debates about whether AA should be considered a psychosomatic disorder (Misery and Rousset, 2001; Willemsen et al., 2009).
Department of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany. Ralf.Paus@uk-sh.de
Ralf
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Paus
Petra
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Arck
D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*