Prevalence of Scalp Disorders and Hair Loss in Children

Hair loss in children can have psychologic effects that interfere with a child’s growth and development. In our case series, we evaluated 1003 children aged 0 months to 17 years who presented to the pediatric and dermatology outpatient clinics at Fatih University, Ankara, Turkey, from December 2009 through October 2010. The patients were routinely examined for scalp disorders and hair loss. We documented 69 patients with scalp disorders and hair loss, most commonly seborrheic dermatitis (SD), transient neonatal hair loss (TNHL), alopecia areata (AA), temporal triangular alopecia (TTA), and pityriasis amiantacea (PA). The clinical presentation of scalp disorders and hair loss in children varies widely and may be attributed to congenital or acquired causes. Hair loss in children can be associated with serious illness. Therefore, hair examination by a pediatrician or dermatologist is an important part of the physical examination.