hair loss , hypothyroidism and DS

[Jennifer1987]

Hi, my little brother was bron with Downs Syndrome, hes now 9. About 1 year or so ago he started to lose his hair, the docs said it was alopecia and that theres not much they can do.  So now hes totally bald.. The whole family was shocked at first but have since got used to it, He has hypothyroidism also.. Im wondering if any1 has advise, could it be the thyroid causing the hair loss or is it actually alopecia (I too have hypothyroidism so know its effects). When he was 8 months old he had open heart surgery for a heart murmur, He was a really sick baby up until he had the operation. So mom has kinda put it down to the stress his body went through when he was a baby.

I would love to think his hair would grow back. Rob had been through so much in his life.

[SimplyStar]

I doubt his hair will grow back,  this is not an unusal  thing for DS adults and children, don't make a big deal about it, he probaly doesn't care one way or another, many of the adults i worked with were bald or partially bald, have several women that are bald, and none of them like wigs,  I hope he is on some type of medication for the hypothyroidism,  watch his weight , they do tend to get heavy, exersize will help that and also watching the diet.  Alopecia is simply the name for baldness, it is a condition , not a disease.

[Jennifer1987]

Honestly, its not a big issue for us. We were shocked at first, not knowing what to do. At first it was hard to understand, he had a right mop of hair on his head. We dont even notice it now, lol... And he couldn care less that he has no hair. Hes as easy going. I was just thinking if it was the thyroid causing it that it could be helped with and increase or something in meds. Depending on his levels.