TLDR A man lost all his hair permanently after hepatitis C treatment, a side effect not seen before.
The document describes a unique case of irreversible alopecia universalis in a 46-year-old male patient treated with pegylated interferon-ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C, marking the first known instance of permanent hair loss associated with this therapy. Despite stopping the antiviral treatment and attempting hair regrowth interventions, the patient did not experience hair recovery even after 24 months. This case highlights the need for physicians to inform patients about the risk of permanent alopecia as a side effect of hepatitis C treatment. Additionally, the document reviews existing literature, indicating that while alopecia is a frequent side effect in about 33% of patients on this treatment, irreversible alopecia had not been reported before.
64 citations
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January 2009 in “Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology” Interferon and ribavirin can cause serious skin reactions and other health issues.
41 citations
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August 2007 in “European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology” A woman's total hair loss from hepatitis C treatment grew back after stopping the medication.
25 citations
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January 2006 in “Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety” SSRIs can cause hair loss, especially sertraline, with higher risk in women.
27 citations
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April 2005 in “Journal of Chemotherapy” Some patients may experience temporary total hair loss from hepatitis C treatment with PEG-interferon and ribavirin.
16 citations
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August 2002 in “Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research” A man developed excessive hair growth after treatment with interferon-alpha and ribavirin for hepatitis C.
35 citations
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January 2002 in “Dermatology” A woman's hair loss during treatment with specific hepatitis C drugs grew back after stopping the medication.
45 citations
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January 1992 in “Dermatology” Half of the patients treated with a specific drug for skin cancer experienced hair loss not related to the drug's dosage.
148 citations
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December 2018 in “Journal of autoimmunity” Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease causing patchy hair loss, often with other autoimmune disorders, but its exact causes are unknown.
4 citations
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November 2018 in “JAAD case reports” Alopecia areata can sometimes appear as a straight line of hair loss instead of round patches.
May 2018 in “Journal of cosmetology & trichology” Combining platelet-rich plasma therapy with prostaglandin-F eye drops can significantly regrow hair in alopecia universalis.
