Question: Can a stomach infection cause harirloss?

[CUBSIN04]

I have not posted in a long time but I have a few questions I am hoping someone could help me out with.

I am 20 yrs old and first started noticing some hairloss about this time last year. My loss is only thinning at my temples with no receding of the actual hairline. Basically I have a full head of hair, just some thinning in the front sides.

Ok , I had an infection in my colon where I would get diahrrea everyday two or three times a day. I got it about the same time I noticed my hairloss and I didnt get any treatment for the infection until this past July.

My question is if having diahrrea all the time like that could lead to the losing of hair? I went to a determatolgist around January of last year and he said I had alopecia areata and gave me an injection for it and it didnt do anything and I never went back. But I never told him of my stomach problems.

I was convinced my hairloss was over after I got rid of the infection but I have been noticing some shedding similar to what I was experiencing before so now Im starting to worry again. I may not have noticed it because I shaved my head for a large part of the summer to see what it would look like if I were going slick bald.

There is very little hairloss in my family on either side and I have an older brother who also has a full head of hair.

Any insight anyone could give me would be much appreciated!!

 

[Cassin]

There is very little hairloss in my family on either side and I have an older brother who also has a full head of hair.

All it takes is one person on any side. One of my uncles is bald and his two brothers all have hair.

As for the rest, you really need to ask a doctor. No one here can answer that 100%,

 

[Thinning]

A severe infection can cause hairloss similar to how chemo does. A large systemic infection will release a lot of toxins into your body. When bacteria destroy a cell, or die they release toxins. Its these toxins that often kill more tissue and make an infection worse. The "flesh eating" bacteria are not particuarly fast moving as they are extremly toxin producing.

The reason your infection gave you diarhea is because the toxins were destroying and irritating your colon tissue, which in turn decided to expel them and everything else as fast as possible.

So if these bacteria and toxins are inside your digestive system, they will most likely enter your bloodstream, where your kidney and liver will have to filter and destroy them. That is why eColi bowel infections often cause kidney damage or failure, because the toxins that pass into the bloodstream are strong enough to destroy those tissues.

These toxins could also cause hair folicles to die, just like poisons like chemotherapy can cause hair folicles to die. However unless your infection took a very long time to get over ( like on the order of weeks to months ) I doubt this is the case - you most likely have started losing your hair due to pattern baldness. Also hair would regrow once your body recovers from the infection just like chemo patients regrow their hair.

 

[misterium]

Toxins are wierd

 

[BadHairDecade]

All it takes is one person on any side. One of my uncles is bald and his two brothers all have hair.

You got that right....The only person in my family with hairloss is my Grandmother.

 

[CUBSIN04]

Thanks "Thinning", thats some good info

And it was over 8 months before I went to the doctor and got rid of the infection so that may have something to do with it.

But like you said I figured it would start to grow back which it hasnt yet. And I am still noticing a little shedding.

 

[gonna_win]

All it takes is one person on any side. One of my uncles is bald and his two brothers all have hair.

You got that right....The only person in my family with hairloss is my Grandmother.

what about you?