Alopecia Areata in a Patient Receiving Infliximab
January 2013
in “
Indian journal of dermatology, venereology, and leprology
”
TLDR Infliximab may cause hair loss in Crohn's disease patients.
A 36-year-old woman with Crohn's disease developed alopecia areata (AA) after 9 months of infliximab treatment. The AA manifested as non-scarring hair loss on the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Blood tests showed positive anti-nuclear antibodies, and a scalp biopsy confirmed AA. Discontinuing infliximab and starting methotrexate led to complete hair regrowth and normalization of antibody levels within 2 months. The case suggested that infliximab might trigger AA by altering immune pathways, and this was the first reported instance of AA in a Crohn's disease patient treated with infliximab.
