A28‐year‐old male business executive presents to a primary care provider with concerns about hair loss. he is otherwise healthy without chronic medical conditions or current medications. he has a chart history of allergy to sulfa medications, although this happened when he was a young child, and he does not recall the incident or the reaction. he is unsure at what age his father went bald, as he never remembers his father having hair. he remarks jokingly that he is losing more hair than his dogs at home, who shed frequently but are otherwise healthy. on examination, he has a single uniform oval patch of hair loss over the left temporal area without any scaling, inflammation, or other skin changes where the hair is missing. which of the following is the most likely explanation for his hair loss?
a) tinea capitis, as evidenced by his exposure to animals that may carry this pathogen
b) male pattern baldness, as evidenced by his father's baldness at a young age
c) drug rash, as evidenced by his allergy to sulfa drugs
d) alopecia areata, as evidenced by patchy hair loss without associated skin changes
e) trichotillomania, as evidenced by his anxiety and need to diffuse uncomfortable
situations with inappropriate humor