Singer Elizabeth Tan suffers from an autoimmune disease, which has led to hair loss
Elizabeth did not hide the fact that she suffers from an autoimmune condition.
It is understood that the health crisis she is experiencing has been occurring since she was one year old.
The condition, known as Alopecia areata in scientific terms, caused the celebrity to undergo severe hair loss. Elizabeth's illness is identical to that endured by Jada Pinkett Smith, the wife of Hollywood star Will Smith.
The singer who is famous for the song "Knock Knock" stated that the scenario has resulted in a growing bald spot on his head. Healthline states that autoimmune disorders emerge when a person's immune system begins to attack the body.
Before reacting to elements such as bacteria or viruses, the immune system could differentiate between foreign and self-cells. According to a medical website in the United States (US), an autoimmune patient's body mistakenly identifies joints and skin as alien cells.
"When the immune system detects a foreign substance, it releases proteins called auto-antibodies that attack healthy cells. Not only that, some diseases only target one organ.
"For example, type 1 diabetes only damages the pancreas. However, there is another disease that can affect the whole body, namely Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)," wrote Healthline.
In the meantime, Johns Hopkins Medicine estimates that 3% (10 million people) of the total population of the United States has autoimmune diseases.
Furthermore, it included eleven types of disorders that are caused by autoimmune diseases, such as:
- Hashimoto's (a disease that attacks the thyroid)
-Graves (a disease caused by excessive thyroid hormone production)
-Rheumatoid Arthritis (an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that attacks healthy cells)
-Vitiligo (a chronic skin disease due to depigmentation)
-Type 1 diabetes
-Pernicious (the lack of red blood due to vitamin B12 deficiency)
-Multiple sclerosis (a disease that can interfere with the ability of the brain and spinal cord)
-Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (an autoimmune disease that attacks body cells)
-Sjogren's (a disease that causes dry mouth and eyes)
-Myositis (an immune disease that attacks muscles)
According to a study published by Johns Hopkins Medicine, autoimmune illnesses disproportionately affect Jewish people, specifically Hashimoto's disease.
Meanwhile, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) explained that Alopecia areata refers to an autoimmune illness that targets hair follicles and causes hair loss.
Patients sometimes experience itching or a burning feeling on the scalp, in addition to hair loss. According to the NIAMS, the individual with the condition is at risk of developing the disease regardless of gender.
The disease can also be particularly aggressive in children under the age of ten. In addition, the medical website indicates that patients with autoimmune disorders such as thyroid and vitiligo are at a greater risk of developing Alopecia areata.
Those with the mentioned traits should be watchful and constantly examine physical changes in the body because the majority of patients only experience hair loss and nail changes.
