Alopecia and Associated Toxic Agents: A Systematic Review
January 2018
in “Skin appendage disorders”
TLDR Thallium, mercury, selenium, and colchicine strongly cause hair loss.
This systematic review summarized 47 studies from 856 articles on toxic agents causing alopecia. Strong evidence linked thallium, mercury, selenium, and colchicine to hair loss, while other agents like boric acid, arsenic, vitamin A, botulinum toxin, Podostroma cornu-damae, and synthetic opioid MT-45 had described incidents but less robust evidence. Established toxic levels of thallium and colchicine were well-documented, whereas agents like botulinum toxin A and synthetic recreational drugs required further investigation. Understanding these associations helped in developing differential diagnoses for patients with alopecia.
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