Editorial: Hereditary Alopecia in Pakistani families

Hereditary alopecia is a heterogeneous group of inherited hair loss disorders with different clinical features, modes of inheritance, and genetic bases. It is characterized by diffuse or localized thinning or absence of hair beginning at birth or early childhood. The loss of hair affects the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, body hair, axillary and pubic hair. Total or partial absence of hair may occur either in isolation or with associated ectodermal abnormalities as a part of syndrome of a very diverse nature. On the bases of such associations, several different syndromes featuring congenital alopecia can be distinguished. The major defects reported to be associated with total or partial absence of hair, either single or in various combinations include mental retardation, dwarfism, epilepsy, nail dystrophy, total or partial anodontia, hyperkeratosis, impaired sweating, cataracts, retinitis pigmentation etc. In familial cases, inheritance is usually autosomal recessive, but families with autosomal dominant or X-linked recessive inheritance have also been reported. Patients with recessive form tend to have a more severe phenotype, often with complete absence of hair development, affecting scalp and body hair.