ACTH as First Line Treatment for Acute Calcium Pyrophosphate Crystal Arthritis in 14 Hospitalized Patients

The document presents findings from a study on IgA deficiency in 55 patients with primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS), revealing a 3.6% prevalence rate, which aligns with rates in other autoimmune disorders, but suggests further research with a larger PAPS population is needed. Additionally, it reports on a retrospective study where 14 hospitalized patients with acute calcium pyrophosphate crystal arthritis responded well to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) as a first-line treatment, with 13 out of 14 showing reduced inflammation within 24 hours, indicating ACTH as a potential alternative treatment. The document also includes two case reports on tocilizumab, an immunosuppressive drug, affecting hair growth. One female patient experienced initial hair loss followed by regrowth during tocilizumab treatment, but later developed alopecia again after switching to abatacept. These cases highlight the complex role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in hair growth, with the document suggesting that while IL-6 can promote hair follicle growth, higher levels may lead to hair loss. However, the causal link between tocilizumab and hair-cycle disorders remains uncertain, as alopecia was also observed with another treatment, abatacept, and has been reported with TNFα antagonists. No conflicts of interest were declared.