What is the medical term for hair loss?

Alopecia is the correct medical term for hair loss. This condition can manifest in various forms, such as alopecia areata, which involves sudden hair loss in patches, and androgenetic alopecia, commonly known as male or female pattern baldness. Alopecia encompasses any form of hair loss, whether it is from the scalp or other areas of the body.

Other terms in the list refer to different conditions: onychia refers to inflammation of the nail bed, folliculitis is the inflammation of hair follicles, usually due to infection, and hypertrichosis is characterized by excessive hair growth. Understanding these distinctions is important for proper diagnosis and treatment in medical coding.