A
number of things can cause excessive hair loss. For example,
about 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, you
may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This hair loss is
related to the stress of the illness and is temporary.
Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. If
your thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, your hair
may fall out. This hair loss usually can be helped by treatment
of the thyroid disease. Hair loss may occur if male or female
hormones, known as androgens and estrogens, are out of balance.
Correcting the hormone imbalance may stop your hair loss.
Many women notice hair loss about 3 months
after they've had a baby. This loss is also related to hormones.
During pregnancy, high levels of certain hormones cause the
body to keep hair that would normally fall out. When the hormones
return to pre-pregnancy levels, that hair falls out and the
normal cycle of growth and loss starts again.
Some medicines can cause hair loss. This
type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine.
Medicines that can cause hair loss include blood thinners
(also called anticoagulants), medicines used for gout, medicines
used in chemotherapy to treat cancer, vitamin A (if too much
is taken), birth control pills and antidepressants.
Certain infections can cause hair loss. Fungal
infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children. The
infection is easily treated with antifungal medicines.
Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an
underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes. Since hair
loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to
find the cause so that it can be treated.
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Hair Loss Research 
