Telogen Effluvium After Oral Albendazole

The document reports a case of telogen effluvium, a form of temporary hair loss, following the administration of oral albendazole in a 25-year-old woman. The patient had taken two courses of albendazole 400 mg/day for one week to treat cutaneous larva migrans acquired in Thailand. She noticed hair loss during the second course of treatment. Physical examination and a trichogram confirmed the diagnosis of telogen effluvium, with 85% of plucked hairs in the telogen phase. Extensive laboratory tests and other examinations ruled out other potential causes of hair loss. Histopathological examination showed no signs of inflammation, further supporting the diagnosis. The patient's hair loss resolved without treatment within 3 months and was normal at the 11-month follow-up. The document notes that side effects of albendazole are rare and usually mild, and that alopecia has been very rarely reported, typically at higher doses and longer treatment durations. This case suggests that albendazole-induced alopecia can occur at lower doses and shorter treatment durations, and the exact pathogenesis remains unknown.