Warfarin-Induced Alopecia: A Rare Case Report

In the document, a rare case of warfarin-induced alopecia is reported involving a 39-year-old female patient who had been on warfarin therapy since 2008 following a mechanical heart valve replacement. The patient presented with hair loss, and after ruling out other causes, warfarin-induced alopecia was diagnosed. Warfarin is known to have several side effects, but alopecia is a less commonly reported one, with only 14 case reports published prior to this one. The mechanism behind warfarin-induced hair loss is not fully understood but is suspected to involve an antimitotic effect on hair follicles or changes in scalp vasculature. The alopecia caused by warfarin is typically reversible and reappears upon rechallenge with the drug. The case report emphasizes the importance of monitoring for alopecia during anticoagulant therapy and suggests that further studies are needed to determine the incidence and prevalence of this side effect in Southern India. The causality assessment using Naranjo et al.'s scale indicated a probable relationship between warfarin and the patient's hair loss.