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.

View this study on surgicalcasereports.springeropen.com →

Discuss this study in the Community →

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.

Related Community Posts Join

6 / 1000+ results

community PP405: The Ultimate Hair Loss Drug for Complete Hair Growth

in Research/Science 198 upvotes 2 days ago

PP405 is a new hair loss treatment in phase 2 trials that may promote hair growth by increasing lactate production and activating hair follicle stem cells. It could potentially replace hormone-disrupting treatments like Minoxidil and finasteride.

community Lilly to seek first approval of an autoimmune drug for hair loss

in Research/Science 18 upvotes 3 years ago

Eli Lilly's drug baricitinib showed effectiveness in treating alopecia areata, with higher doses resulting in significant hair regrowth compared to placebo. The treatment is not for male pattern baldness.

community Diffuse hair loss and scalp biopsies

in Research 692 upvotes 4 months ago

Scalp biopsies are crucial for diagnosing hair loss conditions like Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) and retrograde hair loss, as treatments like finasteride and dutasteride may not be effective if other conditions are present. Combining PPAR-GAMMA agonists with retinoids could improve treatments for conditions like Lichen Planopilaris.

community My experience and a discourse on “DUPA”

in Chat 46 upvotes 2 years ago

How diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) is not an invitation to self-diagnose oneself with aggressive AGA and that seeking a specialized dermatologist may help people experiencing hair loss. Treatment options discussed include topical clobetasol propionate, oral minoxidil, and discontinuing finasteride.

community AGA evaluation and first steps - BEGINNER MEGAPOST

in Chat 76 upvotes 3 months ago

The conversation discusses androgenic alopecia (AGA) and its treatments, focusing on finasteride, minoxidil, and ketoconazole shampoo. Finasteride is recommended as essential for preventing further hair loss.

community I’m 14 years old and I’m losing more hair than my dad. I’ve gone to the doctor 2 times because of this and I’ve received no help. I’m starting to feel like It’s worthless and my hairs gonna look like this forever. I don’t know how anyone could help me but it’s always worth a shot.

in Treatment 4 years ago

A 14 year old who is experiencing hair loss and has not received any help from the doctor, with advice being given to try different doctors, get tested for underlying conditions and intolerances, buzz it short as an option and treatments that could slow down or reverse the hair loss such as minoxidil, finasteride, RU58841 and addressing the cause of the hair loss.

Related Research

1 / 1 results

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.