Observational Study of Hair Fall in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treated with Low Dose Methotrexate Compared to Healthy Controls

The observational study aimed to determine if low dose methotrexate (10-15 mg) used in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients caused hair fall compared to healthy controls. The study enrolled 98 RA patients and 82 controls, predominantly female, with mean ages of 48.1 and 44.4 years, respectively. Hair pull tests conducted at the start, 3 weeks, 2 months, and 3 months showed a reduction in hair fall among RA patients (-0.29, -0.31, -0.26) and slight increases in controls (0.31, 0.11, 0.1). There was no significant difference in hair fall between patients and controls at any point. The study concluded that low dose methotrexate did not increase hair fall and may even reduce it.