Development of Alopecia Areata Universalis in a Patient Receiving Adalimumab

    December 2006 in “ Archives of dermatology ”
    Natalie Garcia Bartels, Hae-Huyk Lee, Margitta Worm, Gerd‐Rüdiger Burmester, Wolfram Sterry, Ulrike Blume‐Peytavi
    TLDR Adalimumab may cause severe hair loss in some patients.
    Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune condition characterized by patchy hair loss that can progress to total scalp (AA totalis) or body hair loss (AA universalis). Inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α are implicated in AA's pathogenesis. Adalimumab, a TNF-α inhibitor used for rheumatoid arthritis, was expected to help AA patients. However, this report described a patient who developed rapidly progressive AA universalis while being treated with adalimumab, suggesting that TNF-α inhibition might not always be beneficial for AA and could potentially exacerbate the condition.
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