My 11 year old sister got diagnosed with diabetes typ 1 about 3 months ago. She has had a lot of hair fall out ever since she was diagnosed. Is this normal?
Hi @arodric5002 and welcome to the forum. I had never heard of diabetes causing hair loss so I did a quick Google search and find it can cause that to happen. Thankfully getting BGs in control can help it grow back. Apparently it’s not uncommon, but we don’t hear about it much in relation to diabetes, perhaps because it’s attributed to other factors. Good catch!
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Hi Alexa @arodric5002 , hair loss, especially noticeable in female, is a common indicator of diabetes. If you try a “hair” search, you will see a few strings on this forum.
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Look up “telogen effluvium” - it’s a temporary hair loss condition brought on most frequently by trauma or stress (combo of high blood sugar + diagnosis stress can trigger it). It has a somewhat delayed effect since it has more to do with speeding up the life cycle of the hairs, so it usually shows up 1-3 months after the trigger. Since you’re recently diagnosed, this could fit.
The good news is that it’s temporary.
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Thank you so much for your response. It really helped!
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Another possible reason for hair loss is hypothyroidism. Both T1D and hypothyroidism are autoimmune diseases, and it is not uncommon for people with one automimmune disease to develop a second one. Most doctors screen for thyroid function yearly so it may be helpful to check with your sister’s doctor as to whether her thyroid levels have been checked.
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Thyroid disorders can be fairly easy to treat. As other members of the forum as well as I myself have shared, it’s a matter of taking the right dosage of a pill. Occasional blood tests will confirm the dosage is still good.