An interesting article which was recently published in the American College of Gastroenterology has featured case reports of some of the diseases of the digestive systems. The study described had two male participants, each who suffered from recurrent intestinal infections which are notoriously difficult to treat and also suffered from alopecia universalis.
Findings Of The Study
Initially the patients were given antibiotics, however treatment was deemed unsuccessful. Then the patients were treated with faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) and both patients actually experienced hair regrowth!
The first patient who had suffered from alopecia universalis for more than ten years displayed patchy hair regrowth over his whole body. The second patient had only had alopecia universalis for two years but appeared to have complete regrowth on his scalp and on some other areas of his body. Neither of the two participants had shown any positive response to the traditional treatments for alopecia areata. Researchers have suggested that a likely explanation to the difference in results was that the first patient had had alopecia universalis for a longer period of time, therefore less hair regrowth.
Auto immune disorder
The idea behind FMT is that by transplanting gut microbes, you could possibly treat many unrelated illnesses. Both the bowel and hair loss diseases here are considered auto-immune disorders; it is possible that by rebalancing the normal flora (microbes found in the gut) the researchers were aiding the defences of the gut lining cells and mucus which is secreted by these cells. Although it is still unknown as to why this FMT gave such surprising results, at least we can appreciate how interconnected our body parts are with the trillions of microbes living in and on our bodies.
Although it is unlikely to be a treatment in the short term, if you are suffering from hair loss, seek professional advice from a hair loss expert for more reliable (and desirable) hair loss treatment options.