Is My Thyroid Condition to Blame for My Hair Loss?

Q: Could my thyroid condition be causing my hair loss?

A:  Yes, it could. A lot of people with thyroid dysfunction shed hair.

Common thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease are autoimmune disorders, which can sometimes result in hair loss.

The hair loss is typically reversed after your thyroid hormone levels are normalized. But this may take some time.

It’s important to point out that hair loss may not just be caused by your thyroid, however.

Having one autoimmune disorder also increases your risk for having others, some of which produce hair loss:

• Celiac disease can be associated with iron deficiency, which triggers hair loss.
• Alopecia areata, a skin condition, causes hair to fall out, typically leaving round spots without hair.

And for women, menopause creates a low estrogen state that can thin the hair follicles, giving the appearance of overall hair loss.

If you’re shedding hair, I would definitely tell your physician, who can determine the reason(s). Doctors can sometimes prescribe treatments to minimize or reverse hair loss.

— Endocrinologist Mary Vouyiouklis-Kellis, MD