• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.165-171
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• 2000

Objectives : Alopecia areata has been known to be closely related to stress. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between stress and alopecia areata investigating how life events(which alopecia areata patients experience), amount of stress, coping strategy, and their personality type affect the oneset and aggravation of the disease. Methods : The subjects were 43 alopecia areata patients who visited the department of dermatology outpatients clinic, and 36 fungal infection diseases patients as the control group. They all completed Scale of Life Events, Coping Style Cheklist, Eysenck A-type Personality Inventory. The analysis of covariance with the age as covariate was carried out. Results : Compared to the control group, alopecia areata patients had significantly more stressful life events, and higher amount of stress, but there was no significant difference in coping strategy. Type A Personality is also resulted to have no significant relationship to alopecia areata. Conclusions : Alopecia areata patients had significantly higher amount of stress than the control group, and this result is consistent with the previous studies which suggest that stress contributes to the oneset of alopecia areata. The causual relationship between stress and alopecia areata should be further examined in order to be applied in clinical setting.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1345-1354
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• 2016

Alopecia areata (AA) is a common and tissue-specific autoimmune disease of hair follicle resulting in the loss of hair on the scalp and elsewhere on the body. Hair follicles is a unique organ because it has its own immune system and hormonal milieu and has a different immune state at each hair cycle stage. The collapses of anagen-dependent hair follicle immune privilege arise autoimmune attack, inducing ectopic MHC class I expression in the hair follicle epithelium and autoantigen presentation to autoreactive CD8+T cells, which results in AA. Clinical and experimental studies have pointed that psychological stress may also influence the hair follicle immune/hormone systems and contribute to the induction of AA. The key pathogenesis of AA is associated with immune privilege guardians (including ACTH, ${\alpha}-MSH$, and $TGF-{\beta}$), natural killer group 2D-positive (NKG2D+) cells (including NK and CD8+T cells), and stress hormones (including CRH and substance P). Effective treatments for AA are still demanded. One of the future targets of treatment will be the modification of hair follicle immune privilege including stress. Recent studies have reported that JAK inhibitors and immunomodulators used in other autoimmune disease, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and rheumatoid arthritis, Tregs, platelet-rich plasma therapy, statins, and prostaglandin anaolgues are effective for AA. Here the article reviews the recent understanding in the pathogenesis associated with perifollicular endocrine/immunology and new treatments of AA.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.16-23
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• 2005

Objectives : We have studied female patients with either alopecia areata or androgenetic alopecia to evaluate psychological aspects, such as anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and characteristic personalities. In addition, we tried to examine the differences in psychological characteristics between these two types of alopecia, where the alopecia areata has been cotroversial on the role of stress in its etiology and the androgenetic alopecia seems to be more influeced by genetic and biological factors. Methods : All participated patients were females with alopecia for more than 1 you. Among them, 52 were with alopecia areata and 33 were with androgenetic alopecia. They were compared with 54 normal healthy controls by using MMPI, BDI, STAI-S, STAI-T, and TAS-20K. Results The average scores of F, Hs, D, Pd, Pa, Sc, Si in MMPI of alopecia groups were significantly higher than that of normal controls, and the androgenetic alopecia group had highest Hy and Pt scores. The average scores of BDI, STAI-S, and STAI-T in alopecia groups were higher than the normal controls. 94.2% of alopecia areata patients and 97.0% of androgenetic alopecia patients had severe depression, who scored higher than 23 in BDI. In TAS-20K, the average total scores of alopecia groups were higher than the normal control group, and the average Factor 3 score in androgentic alopecia was higher than the other groups. The alopecia groups scored higher than normal control group in STAI-S and STAI-T. Conclusion : Females with chronic alopecia were more depressed, had higher levels of anxiety, and more alexithymic than normal healthy females. In spite of arguments about etiological role of stress to alopecia, psychiatric interventions are needed for depression, and considerations for personality and psychological defense mechanism were needed in both types of alopecia.

• The Monthly Diabetes
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• s.220
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• pp.70-73
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• 2008

현대 사회는 '스트레스의 사회'라 해도 과언이 아니다. 직장인들은 직장에서, 학생들은 학교에서, 심지어 어린 아이들에서도 스트레스로 인한 각종 질병이 발생하고 있다. 육체적 스트레스에서 심리적, 정신적 스트레스까지 각종 스트레스의 원인들로부터 둘러싸여 살아가고 있는 것이 지금 현대인의 일상이다. 스트레스로 인한 각종 질병들 중에서도 직장인들은 물론, 여성을 비롯해 학생들에게서 많이 발생하고 있는 것 중의 하나가 원형탈모증이다. 최근에는 각종 공해와 유해물질이 많아지면서 남녀 모두에게서 탈모 인구가 증가되었다. 사회는 점점더 복잡해지고 인스턴트식품의 섭취와 환경호르몬이 증가되면서 머리카락도 견디기 힘든 시대가 된 것이다. 일반적인 탈모와는 달리 원형탈모는 일시적인 탈모현상으로 비교적 쉽게 치료가 가능한 탈모증상이라고 알려져 있다. 그러나 대수롭게 넘겼다가는 탈모로 인한 스트레스까지 겪어야 할지도 모를 일이니 이번 기회를 통해 원형탈모에 대해 좀 더 구체적으로 알아보도록 하자.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.130-139
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• 2014

Objectives : This is a clinical report on a 27-year-old patient with Multi-patched Alopecia Areata(AA) assumed to be occurred by chronic lymphadenopathy, and treated by oriental medicine treatment. Methods : The patient was treated by herb medication and acupuncture. The improvement of the patient was judged by magnifying glass, camera and VAS scale. Results & Conclusions : The AA patches were shown the regrowth of hair. And the pain from lymphadenopathy was disappeared. Oriental medicine treatment including Gagamsunbangpaedok-tang $(Ji\bar{a}ji\check{a}nxi\bar{a}nf\acute{a}ngb\grave{a}id\acute{u}-t\bar{a}ng)$ was effective to regrow hair on AA patches and reduce the symptom of lymphadenopathy as well.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.158-167
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• 1997

Objectives: This study was aimed to investigate the emotional state and personality characteristics of alopecia aerata patient and to determine whether these characteristics are similar with those of neurotic patient. Methods : 20 alopecia aerata patients, 20 neurotic patients, and 20 normal healthy controls were studied. Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI) and Korean standardized edition of Catell's 16 Personality factors Questionnaire(16PF) were used for assessment. Results: 1) Total score of BDI was higher in neurosis group than alopecia aerata group and normal control group(p<0.05). Inspire of statistical non-significance, total score of in alopecia aerata group was higher than normal control group. 2) Total scores of state anxiety and trait anxiety in alopecia aerata and neurosis group were significantly higher than normal control group(p<0.001). 3) In first-stratum source traits of 16PF, normal control group was significantly higher than alopecia aerata group and neurosis group in B-factor(intelligence) and C-factor(ego-strength)(p<0.05). Alopecia aerata group and neurosis group were significantly higher than normal control group in O-factor(guilt-proneness) and $Q_4-factor(tension,\;anxiety)$(p<0.001). 4) In second-stratum source traits of 16PF, alopecia aerata group and neurosis group were significantly higher than normal control group in ANX-factor(anxiety)(p<0.05). Conclusions : These results suggest that emotional state and personality characterstics of patients with alopecia aerata are a distinguishable different to compare with normal control, and are very similar with those of neurotic patients. The authors propose that psychiatric management in patient with alopecia aerata will be more benificial.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.1 s.29
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• pp.141-159
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• 1995

The causes and treatment of alopecia are concluded based on the records found successive oriental medicine in order to persuade new treatments for alopecia as following : 1. In the context of modern medical science male-dominated alopecia was referred as dok-rak(禿落), cho-dok(早禿), chon-dok(全禿), pal-ju-tal-bal, chu-bal-sun and pal-sun(髮癬) alternatively, while alopecia areata was refereed as yu-pung(油風), pan-dok(斑禿), kwi-ji-du and kwi-che-du(鬼剃頭). 2. The causes of alopecia is related with condition of Gi(vital energy) and Hyul(blood) in the twelve channels, such as weakening of vital energy in the conduits, condition of internal organs as heat in the lung, weak kidney or liver vitality, and eating habits such as severe ingestion of bitter taste or sweet taste food. Other distinct reasons are penetration of wind and dryness into a head due to weakening Gi and Hyul inside human body, flaring up of the asthenic fire due to excessive eatings, hard labour or psychological sufferings deficiency of blood, deficiency of vital essence of kidney, phlegm caused by dampness and heat, and stagnated blood. 3. According to demonstration of alopecia, the causes of alopecia areata are listed as internal wind due to heat of blood, deficiency of liver and kidney, blookage of channels and collaterals by stagnated blood, and causes of male-dominated alopecia are listed as wind dryness caused by heat of blood, dampness and heat, and heat, wind and dryness due to deficiency of blood.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.105-110
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• 2001

The etiology of alopecia areata has not been fully elucidated, but autoimmune theory is further strengthened by the increased association of alopecia areata with a number of autoimmune disorders and by the increased prevalence of organ-specific autoantibodies in alopecia areata. Alopecia areata was called 'Yupung(油風)', 'Quijidu(귀지두)', 'Ballak(髮落)' etc. We experienced a patient who had been alopecia areata for ten years. He had been treated alopecia areata with herbal acupunture( mixed CF and JsD). almost entire scalp had been replaced with new termal hairs.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.47-52
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• 2012

Objectives The purpose of this study is to know the effect of Baekhogainsam-Tang on alopecia areata. Methods We decided the treatment principle through abdominal examinations and symptoms. We used herbal medicine (Baekhogainsam-Tang) to increase the roots of hair and hair. Results After the treatment, patients' hair condition had been improved (Hair loss patch diameter decreased from 2.5 cm to 0.5 cm). In addition, patient's physical symptoms were improved. Conclusions This case shows that herbal medicine, which focused on patient's physical symptom, is seemed to be effective in alopecia areata.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.124-130
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• 2016

Objective : This study is designed to investigate the effect of Korean medical therapy on Alopecia areata patients. Method : This is a case report on a female patients who has been suffering from alopecia areata. To reduce her symptoms, we provided with internal herbal medicine 2 times a day, acupuncture therapy 1-2 times a day, pharmacopuncture one time a day and needle-embedding therapy. Results : After series of treatments, the symptoms of Alopecia areata were remarkably improved. Conclusions : This study shows us that Korean medical treatment effects on alopecia areata patient.