July 18, 2001

      A national registry for alopecia areata, a disease whose hallmark is unexplained hair loss, has been established by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The new registry will be located at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, with affiliated centers at the University of Colorado, the University of California San Francisco, the University of Minnesota, and Columbia University.

      Registry scientists will seek out and classify medical and family history data for patients with three major forms of alopecia areata: alopecia areata (patchy scalp hair loss); alopecia totalis (100 percent scalp hair loss); and alopecia universalis (100 percent scalp and 100 percent body hair loss). Families with multiple affected members will be especially helpful to further research studies. The project will offer a future central information source where researchers can obtain statistical data associated with the disease, and a Web site is currently being developed for the registry.

      The registry will serve as a liaison between affected families and investigators interested in studying this disorder. Scientists hope that the registry will be useful in locating the gene or genes associated with alopecia areata, a disease which affects both males and females of all races and often begins in childhood. There is no known permanent cure.

      To be placed on a list to receive information when registry enrollment begins, contact the nearest center: California, UC San Francisco Department of Dermatology, Vera H. Price, M.D., 415-476-3638; Colorado, UC Department of Dermatology, Denver, David A. Norris, M.D., 303-315-7738; Minnesota, UM Department of Dermatology, Minneapolis, Maria Hordinsky, M.D., 612-624-9947; New York, Columbia University Department of Dermatology, New York, Angela Christiano, Ph.D., and Cheryl Moore, 212-305-9739; and Texas, UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Dermatology, Houston, Doctors M. Duvic, K. Hunzicker, and Joan Breuer-McHam, 713-792-5999.