Early CKD Support

6,696 members • 2,443 posts

Losing My Hair!

Hello! I'm a 59 year old woman. I've been stage 3 CKD for many years. I recently dropped down to stage 4 early last this year then thankfully ticked back up to stage 3 on my labs last month. But now I'm losing my hair! I know my labs show low RBC and WBC. Everything else is normal. I take a high dose vitamin D pill once a month, prescribed by my doctor. I also take a parathyroid medication. Do the extra toxins from CKD kill hair follicles?

Read more about...

Vitamin D

15 Replies

•

Darned if I know.

Good supplements I've found for fingernails that ought to help with hair (if you believe their claims), are: Biotin, and, BioSil (adds more silicon to your daily intake), I'm taking those for osteoporosis. China's elderly have way less hip fractures and much of the reason is thought due to their higher silicon intake

I found my finger/toe nails pretty much completely stopped chipping and cracking a couple of months later.

I've appreciable hair thinning. I was and still am using a laser comb, with indifferent results.

Thank you! I will definitely look into BioSil.

I’m not sure Lebrat, the only time I’ve ever noticed losing my hair was when I was taking azathioprine, but I think that was the med rather than the state of my kidneys.

Might be worth asking your doctor!

Take care!

I understand your distress !! I have lost about 2/3 of my already fine, thin hair in the past 9 months. Each of my specialists says it isn't because of anything they're treating !! I have Sjogrens, CKD stage 3a. After reading as much as I could about hair loss , I believe 1. Since I am being treated for all known conditions, nothing would change if the cause was known and 2. It is very likely acute stress ( physical and mental) that caused the loss. I am wearing knit hats for now !

Thank you! I'm pretty much where you are now.

>my labs show low RBC and WBC

The low RBC just might be a direct contributor to hair loss. Does your blood iron (ferritin) test as abnormally low? With CKD you want to avoid animal products (else, liver's ideal, very high in iron), but perhaps an iron supplement would boost your RBC.

Garlic has a Strong reputation for boosting our immune system and WBC are all about our immune system. So, I'd wonder if grating 2-4 cloves of garlic per day onto your food (add some oil to take the sting out of that), would do the trick and bring your WBC up to normal?

Son of a gun! I checked on google just now, and garlic does do that and even boosts the RBC! (well, with rodents, but I figure 9 times out of 10, same deal for us)

bioline.org.br/request?md01068

Haha! If you only knew how much garlic I eat! I love it! However I admit I don't eat nearly enough other healthy veggies that contain iron or vit. A so I am going to have to do better in that department. Thanks for your help!

My thoughts are with you. Hair loss can be an outcome of many conditions - autoimmune, nutritional, age, illness, etc. My daughter developed alopecia areata, which has no cure, in her early twenties. We visited many specialists - dermatologists, gynecologists, and more. Everyone was stumped. She finally dropped into a hair transplant center (yes, the type that advertises everywhere) and the doctor there instantly gave her the diagnosis. (No hope for replacement "plugs".) So if one really wants to know what's going on, that's the type of place to visit; they stare at hair and scalps all day long. Hair loss is heartbreaking for many of us. One of my daughter's greatest tools to cover balding areas is "hair fiber" that clings to hair strands if there are some left. It also conceals the pinkish scalp skin that becomes so obvious. It's inexpensive and can be found on Amazon and other sites. Everyone deserves to look and feel their best.

Aw ...I'm sorry for your daughter! I lost all my hair twice do to chemo so I understand her pain. I usually get salon treatments every month for my hair but with Covid I haven't been for months. I don't care for my hair as well as before so......oh well. I've been wearing scarves 🙂 Thank you!

Hi there Lebrat! I’m normally a regular here in this forum, but I’ve been offline for awhile due to some eye issues I’ve been experiencing that stem from my diabetes, so I thought it would be best not to strain my eyes for awhile. But I’m back now! Look out! Lol! 😃

Your post really jumped out at me because I am a 51-year-old female and I too have thinning hair that actually began a few years back because of a daily medication I need to take for my chronic gout, called Colchicine. I’ve lost all of my once beautiful, shiny and strong tresses, and am now left with salt & pepper-coloured cotton candy! Lol! 😆

Below, I’ve attached a link about parathyroid disease that I found online. I know how you feel with the fear and sadness that comes with hair-thinning. This link does state thinning hair as a symptom of parathyroid disease, but I didn’t find anything that says the medication for it can cause it. I hope you find this helpful.

Another cause for thinning hair may be low iron levels. Perhaps you could consult with your physicians on that. You may need more iron in your diet.

Gosh I really miss communicating with everyone here. Good to be back! I wish you all my best dear. Please keep us posted! Bye for now! 🤗👍👍🙏✌️

parathyroid.com/parathyroid...

Thanks for this great info! I've have 2 parathyroid surgeries over the last few years. My levels are rising again so my neph put me on Cinacalcet. I just started it and the levels are lower and my kidney function actually improved for the first time in months. I never really put together my hyperparathyroidism's relationship with my other issues but your attached link has really given me pause.

Hey! I’m glad it helped! And I’m glad that your meds are working to help improve your levels! I always love to hear some good news! Good stuff! 🤗👍👍🙏✌️

Hmm, have you had your blood 'serum biotin' level checked?

"Since biotin levels < 200 ng/l are considered as biotin deficiency, and serum biotin levels demonstrate daily fluctuations in the magnitude of up to 100 percent, for practical purposes levels <100 ng/l were considered deficient, between 200–400 ng/L as suboptimal, and >400 ng/L as optimal."

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

AND, supplement over use: eg. "consuming too much or over-supplementing vitamin A can cause hair loss [15, 16]." from "The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Hair Loss"

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

It could be age-related due to Estrogen loss, or it could be something missing in your diet. I am stage 3 and my hair grows like weeds, but when I was Anemic it fell out in hand fulls. If you are Anemic ask your doctor about taking Iron supplements or getting more iron in your diet.