Alopecia in Lupus: Experience from a Tertiary Referral Centre

March 2012 in “ Indian Journal of Rheumatology ”

Alakes Kumar Kole, Rammohan Roy

alopecia telogen effluvium lupus hair scarring alopecia discoid lesions alopecia areata alopecia totalis

TLDR Most lupus patients in the study experienced hair loss, which greatly affected their mental and social well-being.

The study from North Bengal Medical College and Hospital involved 50 lupus patients and found that 80% suffered from alopecia. The most common type was telogen effluvium (40%), followed by 'lupus hair' (20%), scarring alopecia with discoid lesions (14%), and alopecia areata (10%). There were no instances of alopecia totalis. 'Lupus hair' correlated with higher disease activity, and 30% of participants reported a decline in quality of life due to the recurring nature and scarring of alopecia. The research concluded that although alopecia in lupus patients is not fatal, it has a significant negative impact on their psychosocial health.

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Research cited in this study

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research Lupus Panniculitis Clinically Simulating Alopecia Areata

28 citations, July 2002 in “Australasian Journal of Dermatology”

Lupus can look like hair loss from alopecia areata but needs different treatment.

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community Diffuse hair loss and scalp biopsies

in Research 692 upvotes 3 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 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.

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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.

community Finasteride not working isnt it MPB?

in Finasteride/Dutasteride 5 upvotes 6 months ago

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community Starting Spironolactone, any ladies in here with experience or success?

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A female user starting Spironolactone treatment for thinning hair, and others sharing their experiences with Minoxidil and oral/sublingual Minoxidil as treatments.

community Vitamin D deficiency strongly correlates with androgenic alopecia, FMPH and telogen effluvium

in Research/Science 157 upvotes 1 month ago

Vitamin D deficiency is linked to hair loss, and supplementation with vitamin D can improve conditions like androgenic alopecia and telogen effluvium. Users discussed various dosages of vitamin D, emphasizing the importance of getting blood tests to determine the appropriate amount.

community I feel like people here shrug off nutritional issues too quickly. Particularly for Retrograde Alopecia.

in Chat 9 upvotes 1 year ago

The user believes Retrograde Alopecia may be linked to vitamin imbalances, specifically from taking too much Vitamin E, A, Zinc, and Selenium, and suggests it could be a middle ground between Androgenic Alopecia and Telogen Effluvium. Treatments for hair loss mentioned include Androgen inhibitors and improving lifestyle factors like nutrition and sleep, with topical melatonin also recommended for Retrograde Alopecia.

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