Graft-Versus-Host Disease With Acute Hair Loss: A Distinctive Manifestation of Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

The document presents findings from two separate studies related to alopecia areata (AA) and hair loss due to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The first study investigated the relationship between atopy, eosinophilia, and the severity of AA. It involved a retrospective review of 205 AA patients from the Cleveland Clinic, finding that 44.9% had atopy and 18.5% were eosinophilic. The study concluded that both atopy and eosinophilia were associated with more severe hair loss in AA patients, with eosinophilic patients having 3.70 higher odds and atopic patients having 2.33 greater odds of severe disease. The second study described a case of a 23-year-old female with chronic GVHD who developed acute hair loss and skin lesions after an allogeneic stem-cell transplantation. Treatment with clobetasol propionate and minoxidil led to hair regrowth and a negative pull test after five months. The case highlighted that new onset of nonscarring alopecia could signal chronic GVHD activity, emphasizing the role of dermatologists in diagnosis and treatment as GVHD becomes more common in clinical practice. Both studies did not report any commercial support.