Alopecia Secondary to Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Therapy
April 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.
Biologic drugs significantly advanced the treatment of chronic inflammatory immunologic diseases, but their increased use revealed rare adverse reactions, particularly with anti-TNF therapy. Psoriasiform cutaneous reactions and alopecia were observed in some patients. Two cases of alopecia, accompanied by psoriasiform lesions, were reported following anti-TNF therapy. This report identified a new entity termed 'anti-TNF therapy-related alopecia,' which exhibited features of both alopecia areata and psoriatic alopecia. Recognizing these effects was crucial for specialists to manage and guide affected patients properly.
