A common form of hair loss called alopecia areata is linked to eight genes, researchers have found.

Alopecia areata can begin with a sudden whitening of the hair and then loss of patches of hair on the scalp that in some cases may progress to total loss of hair on the scalp or body. Currently, progression of the disorder is unpredictable, but the new findings could help determine which patients will have severe forms, scientists say.

In Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, Angela Christiano, a professor of dermatology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and her colleagues report eight genes contribute to the condition.

Alopecia areata was originally thought to be related to psoriasis, but psoriasis treatments failed to help. It is now considered an autoimmune disorder, and many of the genetic regions implicated in the new study are also associated with other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Type 1 diabetes that have treatments, the report said.

"Finally, we have the possibility of developing drugs that specifically target the mechanism behind the disease,” Christiano said in a release.

The study looked at 1,054 cases of the disease and 3,278 control cases without the disorder to identify the disease-susceptibility genes.

Alopecia areata affects more than five million Americans, according to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, which funded the research.

Vicki Kalabokes, the group's president, called the research exciting, since the disorder affects so many people worldwide with unmet medical needs. Children who are affected may experience social stigma, she said.