Crohn's Ileocolitis Presenting as Chronic Diffuse Hair Loss

May 1989 in “ Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine ”

Ami Schattner, Y Shanon

chronic diffuse hair loss Crohn's disease anemia sulphasalazine ferrous sulphate nutritional deficiencies autoimmune processes chronic hair loss Crohn's iron deficiency sulfasalazine iron supplements

TLDR Crohn's disease can cause hair loss before other symptoms appear.

In 1989, a study described a 21-year-old female with Crohn's ileocolitis who presented with chronic diffuse hair loss as the initial symptom, six years before the gastrointestinal symptoms of Crohn's disease appeared. Despite extensive dermatological evaluations, no skin-related cause for the hair loss was identified. The patient, who also had anemia for four years, was eventually diagnosed with Crohn's disease through diagnostic imaging and biopsy. Treatment with sulphasalazine and ferrous sulphate improved her symptoms, including hair loss, and after 20 months, she experienced no further hair loss. The study highlighted that Crohn's disease can manifest with extra-intestinal symptoms like hair loss, potentially due to nutritional deficiencies or autoimmune processes, and these symptoms can precede the more common gastrointestinal symptoms.

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