Alopecia in Three Women of Southeast Asian Descent with Chronic Renal Failure: Possible Association with Erythropoietin Use

January 2001 in “ American Journal of Kidney Diseases ”

Wayne Akalin, Matthew Lewis, Hamid Rabb

alopecia chronic renal failure recombinant human erythropoietin Epo anemia hair regrowth hair loss kidney failure Epo

TLDR Hair loss in three Southeast Asian women with kidney failure may be linked to their anemia treatment with erythropoietin.

The document describes a case series of three Southeast Asian women with chronic renal failure who developed significant hair loss after using recombinant human erythropoietin (Epo) to treat anemia. Two of the women showed a clear temporal relationship between starting Epo treatment and the onset of alopecia, and one of them experienced hair regrowth after stopping Epo, suggesting a potential connection between Epo use and hair loss. However, the authors note that other factors such as renal failure, medication use, and various health conditions could also have contributed to the alopecia. They emphasize the need for further research to clarify the impact of Epo on hair in patients with chronic renal failure.

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