Hair loss overnight in 12year old son.

[Linseyd76]

Hi all, my son came home from school in May and said to me " mum, look at my hair, it's fell out!" When I looked he had the size of a fifty pence piece patch missing on the top of his head. At first I thought he had put something from a science lesson on it but remember he hadn't had science! You could see that it was falling out by the root! I took him the doctors and he said it looked like alopecia areata. A week or two later I took him back to the doctor and demanded blood tests, which came bad as having a very underactive thyroid with raised antibodies in his blood. His hair has since started to grow back but very fine and wispy. Does your hair always fall out when you have an under active thyroid? Any knowledge would be great! Thanks

[Trina]

Hair loss along with many other symptoms is part of a severe Underactive Thyroid and the doctor should have checked his bloods at the first appointment instead of diagnosing alopecia areata was your son having any other symptoms like tiredness or constipation? Has your doctor referred him to an endocrinologist at the hospital as this needs immediate attention.

[Linseyd76 in reply to Trina]

Yes he was referred in May to the dermatologist and then in June to the endocrinologist but the appointments aren't until 3rd September then the 18th September!

[Clutter]

Linseyd76, hairloss is a common hypothyroid symptom. Has your son been prescribed Levothyroxine?

[Linseyd76 in reply to Clutter]

The doctor hasn't prescribed him anything! His hair fell out in May and the blood tests were done in June, but no medication has been given. He just referred him to a dermatologist and a endocrinologist. I feel my son is getting worse!

[Clutter in reply to Linseyd76]

Lindsay, do you know what your son's thyroid levels are?

[Mabes]

It does sound like alopecia areata though (the nature of the hair loss, I mean).

Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition and your son's thyroid condition is also autoimmune if his thyroid antibodies are raised; it is possible to have both unfortunately. In order to check, ask you son's GP to refer him to a dermatologist as well as an endocrinologist.

The dermatologist can do a scalp biopsy and check the follicles in the affected area - they can tell if the hair loss is AA or another type of hair loss. The one most commonly linked to thyroid issues seems to be Telogen Effluvium.

If it is AA and he only has one patch, they sometimes have success at treating it with steroids. I have a friend who had success with one patch using a steroid cream, and she later went on to develop autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's). She's never had another patch. Others are less fortunate, so it is worth pursuing a diagnosis of his hair loss with a derm.

[Linseyd76 in reply to Mabes]

Hi, my son is due to see a dermatologist on 3rd September, but outer doctor has not prescribed him any medication!

[Linseyd76]

Thanks everyone, no the doctor didn't do any blood tests when he diagnosed the alopecia! It was only a week later that I started looking at my sons behaviour and notice how tired he was and that he was constipated, I also weighed him and he is ver underweight for his height. So I took him back to the doctor and demanded blood tests because I have had an over active thyroid which is fine now. When the blood results came back the doctor referred him to a dermatologist as well as a endocrinologist that was in June! His appointments aren't until 3rd September with the dermatologist and the 18th September with the endocrinologist. The doctor has not given him any medication or anything. My son is very constipated, extremely tired and hasn't any motivation at all. For a 12 year old I know that isn't normal. He would quite happily stay in his pyjamas all day in bed on his iPad. He just doesn't seem to have any motivation for anything. Do you think I should go back to my doctor and get another blood test done before we see the endocrinologist??? Want him on treatment asap! Don't want to have to wait on more blood test when we see the endocrinologist, that's why I think an up to date blood test result from the doctor will show any difference.

[MidnightBlue in reply to Linseyd76]

I would go back to the GP and insist he prescribes levo to treat the under active thyroid, it is not acceptable for the doctor to leave him unwell from June to September.

[Linseyd76 in reply to MidnightBlue]

I feel terrible now! That he should have been prescribed some form of medication!

[MidnightBlue in reply to Linseyd76]

You should not feel bad at all, but if your doctor said that your son's blood test showed 'a very under active thyroid', and your son has symptoms of hypothyroidism, I can not understand why he has not prescribed levo.

[Linseyd76 in reply to MidnightBlue]

I'm going to get an appointment and get his results from his one and only blood test, and get him to do another blood test and find out why the hell he didn't prescribe him anything! Should he have been out on medication until he has seen the specialist?

[Jazzw in reply to Linseyd76]

Oh no - it's not for you to feel terrible. {hug}. Your doctor is the eejit, not you. We're conditioned from an early age to believe that doctors know best, but increasingly as I get older I find that many of their actions amount to (excuse the expression) butt-covering. That's what our crazy litigation-driven world has driven them to - they're scared to do right for fear of doing wrong.

Ideally, on receiving the referral the Endo ought to contact the GP and advise that he prescribe thyroid hormones. But we don't live in an ideal world, sadly.

[Jazzw in reply to Linseyd76]

I get alopecia areata and that's exactly how it goes - all of a sudden I'll find a bald spot about the size of a 10p, usually at the back of my head under my other hair so far, though I sometimes feel it's only a matter of time before it happens somewhere obvious! There's definitely a stress component to mine, but I do think it's allied to my hypothyroidism in some way. I've got one at the moment and there's no sign of it growing back yet...

I don't understand why your doctor hasn't started your son on thyroid replacement. It seems crazy to make him suffer any longer than necessary. It might be worth taking him back to the doctor sooner, and seeing if he will prescribe some Levo.

[Marz]

Also ensure the following tests are added . B12 - Ferritin - Folate - Iron - VitD. Many are often low in people with thyroid problems and food is not what it used to be You also need GOOD levels for the Levo to work well and for your son to feel stronger.

Hope your son soon feels better....your GP is letting him down.

[Linseyd76 in reply to Marz]

Thank you! I've just got him an appointment today, so I will get a copy of his previous blood tests and ask for another test. The doctor did test for what you suggested and had put him on Sytron and Dalivit.

[Marz in reply to Linseyd76]

Sorry don't know what Sytron or Dalivit are Hope the appointment goes well for you both....

[Linseyd76 in reply to Marz]

Sytron is a iron supplement and dalivit is a multi vitamin supplement.

[MidnightBlue in reply to Linseyd76]

Post the results when you get them and members will advise.

[MidnightBlue in reply to Linseyd76]

Also, if the doctor has put him on vitamins that indicates he was really low, he must be feeling quite unwell. The good news is that with treatment he should feel better soon, but you may need to supplement in greater quantities that what the G.P has prescribed. You will know more when you get a printout of the results. (Insist on a copy, it is your legal right)

[Linseyd76 in reply to MidnightBlue]

Once again thank you very much!

[Linseyd76]

Just like to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH to you all for your advice! X

[faith63]

I think you need to find a new doctor for your son. Louise Warville has a list of good thyroid doctors in the UK and maybe there is someone who will take your son. Also, functional medicine believes Hashimoto and all autoimmune disease is caused by a leaky gut and they can be put into remission, permanently. Google, Leaky Gut. I have Hashi's too. The dermatologist is a waste of time, as they may only put him on immune suppressing drugs for Alopecia, which is not a safe thing and they hair could grow back when on a proper dose of thyroid meds. Please let me know what his lab results are with ranges. With Hashimotos, the problem is with a poor immune system, not a problem with the Thyroid, same with Alopecia, if he even has it. His immune system thinks his thyroid, and possibly hair follicles, are a foreign object and is attacking it just

like it does a germ or virus. Always keep that in mind. You will see, no doctor address improving the immune system! This is why i am seeing an alternative doctor, for my son and my self.

[Linseyd76 in reply to faith63]

He has an appointment with an endocrinologist to, so I will see what he has to say, thank you. I will have a read about leaky gut.

[faith63 in reply to Linseyd76]

I have been to 5 endo's and that is why i gave you the info that i did, they are actually pretty bad, when it come to hashimotos and autoimmune disease. I am in the US and their treatment is worse in the UK, than it is here, which is hard to believe anyone could be worse than what i have experienced. They really aren't trained right, in all fairness.