Alopecia Secondary to Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Therapy
March 2015
in “
Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia
”
alopecia anti-TNF therapy psoriasiform cutaneous reactions alopecia areata psoriatic alopecia biologic drugs chronic inflammatory immunologic diseases hair loss anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy psoriasis-like skin reactions patchy hair loss psoriasis-related hair loss biologic medications chronic inflammatory diseases
TLDR Anti-TNF therapy can cause hair loss and skin issues.
The document described two cases of alopecia induced by infliximab, an anti-TNF therapy, in patients with Crohn's disease. Both patients developed psoriasiform lesions and alopecia plaques on the scalp, showing features of both alopecia areata and psoriatic alopecia. Treatment with topical corticosteroids and other medications resulted in hair regrowth and remission of skin lesions, while infliximab therapy was continued. This report emphasized the need to recognize this adverse effect for proper management and noted it as the first description of such cases in the national literature.
