Can I Pass It on to My Children?

It is possible, but not likely, for alopecia areata to be inherited. Most children with alopecia areata do not have a parent with the disease, and the vast majority of parents with alopecia areata do not pass it along to their children.

Alopecia areata is not like some genetic diseases in which a child has a 50-50 chance of developing the disease if one parent has it. Scientists believe that there may be a number of genes that predispose certain people to the disease. It is highly unlikely that a child would inherit all of the genes needed to predispose him or her to the disease.

Even with the right (or wrong) combination of genes, alopecia areata is not a certainty. In identical twins, who share all of the same genes, the concordance rate is only 55 percent. In other words, if one twin has the disease, there is only a 55 percent chance that the other twin will have it as well. This shows that other factors besides genetics are required to trigger the disease.

To learn more about the genes and other factors involved in alopecia areata risk, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is funding an alopecia areata registry. The registry is an organized network of five centers throughout the United States that will identify and register patients with the disease and collect data and blood samples (which contain genes). Data, including genetic information, will be made available to researchers studying the genetic basis and other aspects of disease and disease risk. (For more information about the registry, see "How Can I Take Part In Research?")

Copyright Notice:

Reprinted with permission from:

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal
and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
NIAMS/National Institutes of Health
1 AMS Circle
Bethesda, MD 20892-3675