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Article: Alopecia's impact goes beyond hair loss Those with alopecia areata cope with hair loss, social fallout
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- February 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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GLOBE WEST 2
Alopecia areataby the numbers
As a young boy, Davio DiSpena took his hair grooming very
seriously. Every week, he would have his father, Joseph DiSpena,
owner of Continentale Hair Salon in Arlington, give his thick, dark
hair a trim - an indulgence that would become a cruel irony.
At age 12, Davio discovered dime-sized bald patches on his head.
"I felt really confused at first," said DiSpena, 18, a senior at
Bedford High School. "It came up so fast and I had no idea what it
was."
But the pediatrician immediately recognized the condition as
alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease in which a person's immune
system attacks the hair follicles, resulting in hair loss. The
condition, ...