Like many who suffer from skin disorders, people with alopecia areata like to keep up with news and research about their condition. That includes everything from reading press releases and volunteering for clinical trials to submitting their DNA for future research. It also includes sharing family histories at Bald Girls Do Lunch events.
Around the table we’ll hear questions like, Do you have other relatives with AA? While it’s rare, occasionally we see women who have an identical twin with a different autoimmune disorder, or a fraternal brother with AA. Even more rare is someone who says AA has been evident in every generation. In most cases, our friends at the Bald Girls table are singletons, knowing no one else in their family with any form of AA.
Genetics play a prominent role in alopecia areata, as do environmental factors. But how well do we really understand what genes are? Most of us are not scientists, and it may have been a while since high school or college biology.
Take the word “gene,” for example. In a recent news release from the Columbia University Medical Center about alopecia researcher Angela Christiano, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular dermatology, we encounter the following words: genes, genetics, gene expression and gene regulators.*
So what exactly is a gene? For a quick refresher course, view this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubq4eu_TDFc
Watching it together could be a fun way to get your family talking and thinking about your shared ancestry.
Parents with AA, please note: It’s estimated that only 20% of the people who have some type of AA , even transient episodes, have a relative who also has experienced some form of AA at one time or another. There is a genetic link to AA, but it’s not easy to pass the condition on. There is only a 20% chance that your children will also have the disorder.
Bald Girls Do Lunch is the only nonprofit created specifically to help women with alopecia areata cope, gain confidence and feel a sense of community.
