Nonscarring Alopecia in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Cross-Sectional Study with Trichoscopic, Histopathologic, and Immunopathologic Analyses

May 2019 in “ Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology ”

Kumutnart Chanprapaph, Siriorn Udompanich, Yingluck Visessiri, Pintip Ngamjanyaporn, Poonkiat Suchonwanit

nonscarring alopecia systemic lupus erythematosus SLE trichoscopic analysis histopathologic analysis immunopathologic analysis direct immunofluorescence DIF alopecia dermoepidermal junction follicular epithelium hair loss lupus skin biopsy immunofluorescence

TLDR Hair loss in lupus patients indicates higher disease activity.

The study investigated nonscarring alopecia in 32 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) through clinical, trichoscopic, histopathologic, and direct immunofluorescence (DIF) analyses. It identified various patterns of alopecia, with mild diffuse alopecia being the most common (43.8%). Trichoscopic findings frequently included arborizing/interconnecting vessels (83%), while histopathologic examination revealed interface changes along the dermoepidermal junction (87.5%). DIF showed homogeneous granular deposition along the dermoepidermal junction and follicular epithelium (78.1%). The study concluded that nonscarring alopecia in SLE is associated with higher disease activity and specific histological and DIF changes, suggesting that hair loss can be an indicator of active SLE.

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Research cited in this study

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