Experts issue warning as woman loses her hair after being bitten by common bug on the rise in UK
Experts have issued a warning after a woman lost her hair following an insect bite.
The 28-year-old, from Boston, Massachusetts, was bitten on top of her scalp and subsequently suffered hair loss around the affected site.
The alopecia started to spread and the patient was left with thinning hair, as well as bald patches across her head.
The case report reads: "Upon presentation, her exam revealed diffuse patchy hair loss [...] with yellow and black dots and exclamation point hairs throughout the entire scalp, and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and scar-like alopecia at the site of attachment."
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Hair loss can be a result of tick bites. Healthline explains: "Hair loss has also been a reported symptom both anecdotally and in clinical case reports. This may be caused by temporary hair follicle damage from the infection, or from the tick bite itself."
Writing in JAAD Case Reports, medics have explained further: "Tick bite alopecia, although rare, has maintained a relatively predictable clinical course.
"Hard tick scalp attachment typically induces tissue necrosis [death] and the formation of an eschar [dead tissue that forms over healthy skin that then sheds] that ultimately progresses to a patch of moth-eaten-appearing cicatricial alopecia [scarring hair loss].
"Surrounding hair loss can occur around the attachment site."
While hair loss can resolve in a few months, experts say it can in some cases take up to five years.
After consulting doctors, the anonymous patient - who also had polycystic ovary syndrome - began taking a steroid, followed by a medication called baricitinib.
Baricitinib is a strong drug used to treat severe rheumatoid arthritis, as well as alopecia and eczema.
After a few months, the woman's hair began to grow, with 'significant regrowth in all prior alopecic sites apart from the tick attachment site and the immediate surrounding area', the case report explains.
Ticks are small insects that feed on the blood of birds and mammals, including humans.
They're usually found in woodland, moorland or grassy areas, such as gardens and parks.
They can't fly, but attach onto skin or fur if the animal or person is standing close enough, or walking by.
Tick bites can cause swelling, itchiness and blistering around the site and if you do think you've been bitten by a tick, it's important to seek medical advice.
In some cases, tick bites can lead to Lyme disease, which is a potentially serious illness.
If not treated, Lyme disease can cause pain and swelling in the joints, nerve issues, memory problems, difficulty concentrating and heart complications.
According to experts, tick bites are on the rise in the UK.
Sally Cutler, professor of medical microbiology at the University of East London, explained in The Conversation: "It’s difficult to estimate how much tick populations have really increased, and whether this is part of a long-term trend, because tick abundance surveys tend to be localised and sporadic, and the tick life-cycle typically spans around two years.
"But we are seeing both an upsurge of some species and the establishment of new ticks in the UK in recent years."
Lucy Devine