Hereditary Properties of Alopecia Areata
The genes that a person inherits from their parents play a role in their susceptibility of developing an autoimmune disorder or any type of disease. Autoimmune diseases especially tend to have a hereditary component. For unknown reasons autoimmune disorders can cluster into families, where different family members can have different types of autoimmune diseases. It has long been speculated that alopecia areata is a hereditary diseases. This statement has not been proven completely, but there is strong evidence that would suggest that alopecia areata could be triggered by predetermined genetic markings.
Genetic inheritance of diseases
Genes are pieces of chemical information that add up to physical and sometimes mental characteristics. Every genetic trait carries two different genes. In humans there are 46 chromosomes, or 23 homologous pairs. This forms the basis of which hereditary characteristics are passed down from generation to generation. A genetically inherited disease is one that is passed on through the genes or chromosome to the offspring. The most widely known genetic disorders are Down syndrome, tay-sachs disease, cystic fibrosis, huntington’s disease, marfan's syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis among many others. There is believed to be more than 4000 diseases that can be passed on through the genes.
If a parent has a genetically inheritable disease that does not always mean that the children will inherit the disease. Likewise if the parents do not have an inheritable disease that does not mean that the children won’t develop the disease. Any one person can be carrying the genes for developing any hereditary disease, but this does not always mean that this disease will form. In fact, most people do carry the genetic prerequisite for any number of diseases, but only a very tiny portion of people with the genetic disposition of a hereditary disease will materialize. It is more of a question of chance and probability that the child can inherit a genetic disorder.
Sufferers of an autoimmune disorder are also slightly more likely to develop any number of other autoimmune diseases, due to shared markers. There have been cases were a patient would develop an autoimmune disease. And after that particular disorder has been cured, another different autoimmune disorder would develop. It’s important to stress however that, the development of subsequent autoimmune diseases remains rare, even in those genetically predisposed.
The link between genetics and alopecia areata
Cases of alopecia areata can be evident in people who have family members with a history of alopecia areata. Similarly it can also occur in people who have family members with a history of any type of auto immune disorders. This suggests that alopecia areata could be linked to genetics, but it’s not limited to genetics. Alopecia areata has also been found in people who are perfectly healthy and with no family history of autoimmune diseases. Studies have found that in the case of identical twins, if one twin develops the alopecia areata, then there is about a 55% chance that the other twin will also develop this disease at some point in their life as well. This would suggest that there could be a genetic linkage between developing alopecia areata and the chances of contracting the disease during one's lifetime.
Early research into the genetic linkages of alopecia areata strongly supports the possibility that alopecia areata can be an inherited diseases. One study conducted by the Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, recruited 20 families where some of its members have been diagnosed with alopecia areata. The study found that of the 220 people studied, 43.7% of the people had the disease. The study went on further to find that loci on four chromosomes can play a role in the development of alopecia areata. Chromosomes 6, 10, 16 and 18 have been identified to possibly contribute in the in heritance of alopecia areata. Specifically chromosomes 16 and 18 have been found to contribute to a wide number of hair and skin disorders.
Certain genetic markers have been identified which may make people more susceptible to autoimmune disease, and roughly 1 in 4 people who suffer from alopecia areata can identify a close relative who is or was also affected. It’s worth remembering that alopecia areata still only affects a very small portion of people, even when the genetic predisposition is present both in the patient and the parents.
The discovery of the possible hereditary properties of alopecia areata has led some in the scientific community to look towards a new technology called gene therapy to treat and possibly cure alopecia areata. Gene therapy involves the use of genes to treat and prevent hereditary diseases. The process consists of inserting a healthy gene into the patient's cells to replace a mutated gene that would cause diseases. Other approaches of gene therapy include disabling a mutated cell from functioning properly, and inserting a new gene into the body that would help the body fight disease. The technology and research of gene therapy remains in its infancy, and would involve a degree of risk to the patient. Currently the technique is only being used for hereditary disorders that have no known cure and pose a threat to human life. As the technology and our understanding of it continues to develop we can eventually see the use of gene therapy in the treatment and even the cure for alopecia areata.
Conclusion
Sufficient proof exists which would support the claim that alopecia areata can be inherited through genetics. But there are cases of the development of the alopecia areata in which no known genetic markers exist, in the patient, to indicate the possible hereditary property of alopecia areata. The causes of alopecia areata are of debate, and no definitive conclusion can be drawn upon research of the genetic properties of alopecia areata, to indicate the cause of the condition is hereditary. While alopecia areata remains a difficult and elusive subject for researchers to study, the identification of gene sequences which signal an increased likelihood of developing the disease marks the start of a road which may ultimately eliminate, the condition, from human memory.