Can pet allergies cause alopecia ?

We know that the auto-immune system is involved in alopecia.
It is also common for people to be allergic to their pets, however could there be a link? This question was raised by one of our customers who’s son reversed his alopecia in just three months. She feels that the cause may be down to his cat so we thought it useful to set up a poll and ask alopecians if they agree / disagree.

Let’s examine the logic for a moment:

An allergy is simply the immune system expressing itself against an allergen - in this case the cats fur. In alopecia the immune system gets confused and starts attacking the body’s own hair follicle. An allergy can make the immune system over reactive. In this case the 11 year old boy has hayfever and reacts to numerous other allergens. Could the cat allergy be the final overload that cause the breakdown in the immune system?

Conventional treatment for alopecia involves suppression of the immune system usually by steroids. However immune suppression is not advisable for long term treatment, so we approach the problem from a different prospective: why did the immune system fail in the fist place and what can be done to correct the malfunction, rather than suppress the system.

We are pleased to report that this happy boy has got to keep his hair and his cat !!