National Health Council — Voluntary Health Agency Guide

National Alopecia Areata Foundation

The National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), founded in 1981, provides support to patients afflicted with alopecia areata, builds public awareness regarding the disease and funds research to find its causes, treatment protocols and cure. The organization has more than 64,000 members. Its mission is to support research to find a cure or acceptable treatment for alopecia areata, to support those with the disease, and to educate the public about alopecia areata.

Alopecia areata (al-oh-PEE-shah air-ee-AH-tah) is a highly unpredictable autoimmune skin disease resulting in the loss of hair on the scalp and elsewhere on the body. This common but very challenging and capricious disease affects approximately 1.7 percent of the population overall, including more than 4.7 million people in the United States alone. Due to the fact that much of the public is still not familiar with alopecia areata, the disease can have a profound impact on one's life and functional status, both at work and at school.

In alopecia areata, the affected hair follicles are mistakenly attacked by a person's own immune system (white blood cells), resulting in the arrest of the hair growth stage. Alopecia areata usually starts with one or more small, round, smooth bald patches on the scalp and can progress to total scalp hair loss (alopecia totalis) or complete body hair loss (alopecia universalis).