Autoimmune Alopecia Areata Due to Thymoma Without Myasthenia Gravis: A Case Report

May 2023 in “ Surgical Case Reports ”

Yukino Saito, Tomohiro Yazawa, Toshiteru Nagashima, Yoichi Ohtaki, Natsuko Kawatani, Eiji Narusawa, Ryohei Yoshikawa, Nozomi Matsumura, Tatsuro Maehara, Ken Shirabe

alopecia areata autoimmune hair loss thymoma topical steroids CD8-positive lymphocytes transsternal extended thymectomy hair loss steroids thymus gland tumor thymus gland removal

TLDR A woman's hair loss improved after removing a tumor in her thymus gland, suggesting hair loss can be linked to such tumors even without a specific muscle weakness condition.

A 60-year-old woman with rapid alopecia areata, an autoimmune hair loss condition, was discovered to have a thymoma, a tumor in the thymus gland, but did not have myasthenia gravis, a condition often linked with thymoma. Despite two months of topical steroids, her hair loss did not improve. A biopsy revealed CD8-positive lymphocytes in her hair follicles. However, her hair loss improved two months after a transsternal extended thymectomy was performed to remove the thymoma. This case indicates that alopecia areata can be a rare complication in thymoma cases without myasthenia gravis, and thoracic surgeons should be aware of this potentiality.

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Research cited in this study

2 / 2 results

research Overlooked Non-Motor Symptoms in Myasthenia Gravis

49 citations, November 2012 in “Journal of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry”

Non-motor symptoms in myasthenia gravis are common and need early diagnosis for better management.

research Alopecia Areata: An Autoimmune Disease Causing Hair Loss

421 citations, April 2012 in “The New England Journal of Medicine”

Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition causing hair loss with no cure and treatments that often don't work well.

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research Autoimmune Alopecia Areata Due to Thymoma Without Myasthenia Gravis: A Case Report

May 2023 in “Surgical Case Reports”

A woman's hair loss improved after removing a tumor in her thymus gland, suggesting hair loss can be linked to such tumors even without a specific muscle weakness condition.