My 10 yr old daughter suddenly has a bald patch on the back of her head. what would cause this? she is a normal healthy girl.

The : The six main causes of patchy hair loss in an otherwise healthy child are: 1.) tinea capitus - which is ringworm on the scalp. It looks like scaly patched of hairloss, sometimes with black dots on the scalp. It's caused by a fungal infection and is treated by an oral anti-fungal medication called griseofulvin. 2.) alopecia areata - which is an area of hair loss thought to be caused by an immune reaction. The body mistakenly takes a hair follicle as a foreign object and fights it causing loss of hair in that area. 5% of people with this will progress to alopecia totalis which is loss of all the hair on the scalp. There is no cure, but treatment with steroids can help. 3.) trichotillomania - which is caused by picking or pulling the hair out in a specific area. It is usually caused by stress and improves with counseling. 4.) vitamin deficiency - less common since most kids in the us have a balanced diet. Zinc, biotin and iron deficiency can cause hair loss - more likely overall than patchy. 5.) telogen effluvium - a stressor such as a high fever, surgery, death of a loved one, or other stress can cause an interruption of the hair cycle and shedding all at once. Once the stressor goes away, the hair usually grows back normally. 6.) endocrine problems - such as low thyroid hormone which can cause thinning hair. You should contact your child's doctor and have her examined. Her doctor may be able to diagnose why she is losing her hair and how to treat it.

Multiple thingd: In this age group scalp fungal infects are not uncommon. Look for dry patches and scaling skin. Also does she twist or pull at her hair ?