TLDR The link between pemphigus and the patient's scarring hair loss is still unclear.
The document reports the case of an 83-year-old woman with suspected cicatricial alopecia and a small eroded lesion on her forehead, initially thought to be atrophic actinic keratosis. Pemphigus, an autoimmune disease characterized by autoantibodies against desmosomal proteins, was considered as a potential underlying condition. To investigate further, the clinic performed two new skin biopsies of the scalp, suspecting an inflammatory disease. The summary does not provide the outcome of the biopsies or a definitive diagnosis, so the conclusion regarding the association between pemphigus and the patient's cicatricial alopecia remains undetermined based on the provided text.
2 citations,
September 2018 in “Clinical and Experimental Dermatology” Pemphigus patients with alopecia have more severe and treatment-resistant disease.
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January 2018 in “BioMed Research International” Scalp involvement is common in pemphigus and can lead to hair loss, with the severity of scalp lesions linked to overall disease severity.
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November 2011 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” Hair loss is a rare but recognized symptom of pemphigus vulgaris, with patients usually regrowing hair after treatment.
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May 2011 in “Dermatologic Clinics” Hair loss in autoimmune blistering skin diseases varies and may regrow with disease control.
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June 2022 in “Frontiers in medicine” There are still challenges in diagnosing and treating chronic skin diseases, but there is hope for future improvements.
January 2017 in “Springer eBooks” The document explains various skin conditions and their treatments.
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May 2008 in “Drug Discovery Today: Disease Mechanisms” Hair follicles offer promising targets for delivering drugs to treat hair and skin conditions.
November 2019 in “Harper's Textbook of Pediatric Dermatology” The document is a detailed medical reference on skin and genetic disorders.