Accutane and Hair Thinning/Loss - Connection?

[Bowzer]

My wife has short and thin hair to begin with.  She recently (2 weeks ago) started taking a low dose of accutane every other day and noticed her face and scalp began to itch and flake.  She is now concerned about her hair thinning and even being lost, claiming that it has at least begun to thin.  
My question:  Is there a strong correlation between hair thinning/loss with accutane patients?  Should she be concerned about permanent hair loss?  If her hair is thinning, is this permanent as well or temporary?

[Bowzer]

Dr Smita,

Thank you for your response.  One final question about the reported cases of alopecia with accutane:  Has the alopecia simply been reported as persisting or what is the % reported of permanent hair loss?

[Dr_Smita_S]

Hi

Patients using accutane have reported alopecia (hair loss) after starting the medication. In some cases, hair loss has been reported to be persisting.

Since there are a lot of causes of alopecia (usage of certain cosmetics, medications (anti hypertensive etc), stress, vitamin deficiencies etc), you should consult your doctor to find out the cause in your case.

Take care and do write in if you need any other information.
Regards