Individuals w/ Rare Disease that Causes Hair Loss May Have Hope Thanks to the U
Annie Goodroad suffers from the autoimmune disease called alopecia. In short, this disease is rare and causes the individual's hair to fall out, including eyebrows and eyelashes.
Annie started noticing bald spots when she was in 8th grade. She lost all of her hair when she was a freshman in college. Annie told WCCO, "'It was super traumatic. I remember calling my parents and they said to come home and get fitted for a wig.'”
She is now going through a treatment trial with the University of Minnesota that is actually going really well! She's taking the arthritis drug Xeljanz and is getting steroid injections. She takes two pills a day and gets an injection once every 3 months.
Dr. Maria Hordinsky, who has been studying alopecia for decades, is saying that Annie's results are "outstanding." Dr. Hordinsky says that "65% to 75% of patients see success with this treatment, as seen at the U and at Columbia. It seems people with rheumatoid arthritis have similar genetic markers to alopecia patients."
Unfortunately, there is still the chance that Annie could lose all of her hair again but she has come to terms with it. “'I had to start creating my own standards and living unapologetically by my own beauty standards.'”
WCCO makes a note that "this treatment is for people who have the autoimmune disease alopecia, not for more common forms of hereditary hair loss."
Hang out with Carly Ross on The Mighty 920 KDHL weekdays 1-5pm!