Disease Integumentary System
A Disease of the Integumentary System
September 28, 2011
Abstract
There are many diseases that affect the Integumentary system, due in some part to the fact that it contains the largest organ in the human body, which is the skin. The some of these diseases can be seen as rashes, dark spots, or just patches of itchy areas. The disease that will be discussed in throughout this paper is called Alopecia Areata. One will cover areas such as a description of the disease, as well as the causes, signs and systems, diagnosis, treatments, and prognosis.
A Disease of the Integumentary System The Integumentary System plays an extremely important role in the human body. Due to the fact, it is the body’s first line of defense against infection, it contains receptors for touch, and it helps control the body’s temperature (Fischer, 2010). This system consists of skin and skin derivatives; such as hair, nails, and glands which accounts for 15% of a human body’s total weight (The Integumentary System, 2011) which leads one to understand why the following disease, Alopecia Areata, is considered to fall under this system. The following sections will discuss all areas that pertain to this disease, including a description, the causes, signs and systems, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, as well as, some pictures. To begin, one must understand what Alopecia Areata actually is. The National Alopecia Areata Foundation (2011) describes Alopecia Areata as a common autoimmune disease, with no known cause, which attacks the hair follicles and leads to round patches of loss of hair usually on the scalp, but can be found elsewhere on the body. This disease affects 4.7 million people in the U. S. and approximately 2 percent of the overall population. Even though this disease is cyclical and highly unpredictable, the main sign and/or symptom is hair loss. But, some individuals have complained of itching and burning sensations. This disease usually starts with one or two
September 28, 2011
Abstract
There are many diseases that affect the Integumentary system, due in some part to the fact that it contains the largest organ in the human body, which is the skin. The some of these diseases can be seen as rashes, dark spots, or just patches of itchy areas. The disease that will be discussed in throughout this paper is called Alopecia Areata. One will cover areas such as a description of the disease, as well as the causes, signs and systems, diagnosis, treatments, and prognosis.
A Disease of the Integumentary System The Integumentary System plays an extremely important role in the human body. Due to the fact, it is the body’s first line of defense against infection, it contains receptors for touch, and it helps control the body’s temperature (Fischer, 2010). This system consists of skin and skin derivatives; such as hair, nails, and glands which accounts for 15% of a human body’s total weight (The Integumentary System, 2011) which leads one to understand why the following disease, Alopecia Areata, is considered to fall under this system. The following sections will discuss all areas that pertain to this disease, including a description, the causes, signs and systems, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, as well as, some pictures. To begin, one must understand what Alopecia Areata actually is. The National Alopecia Areata Foundation (2011) describes Alopecia Areata as a common autoimmune disease, with no known cause, which attacks the hair follicles and leads to round patches of loss of hair usually on the scalp, but can be found elsewhere on the body. This disease affects 4.7 million people in the U. S. and approximately 2 percent of the overall population. Even though this disease is cyclical and highly unpredictable, the main sign and/or symptom is hair loss. But, some individuals have complained of itching and burning sensations. This disease usually starts with one or two
References: Brannon, H. (2008, October 15). Alopecia areata. Retrieved September 28, 2011 from, http://dermatology.about.com/cs/hairloss/a/alopeciaareata.htm Fischer, D. (2010, Febuary 10). Integumentary system facts. Retrieved September 28, 2011 from, http://www.clccharter.org/donna/medschool/systems/system%20research/integumentary/integumentary.htm National Alopecia Areata Foundation. (2011). Retrieved September 28, 2011 from, http://www.naaf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_alopecia_intro The Integumentary System. (2011). Retrieved September 28, 2011 from, http://www.rapidlearningcenter.com/biology/anatomy-physiology/05-The-Integumentary-System.html Vorvick, L. J., Berman, K., & Zieve, D. (2010, October 14). Alopecia areata. Retrieved September 28, 2011from, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002421/