Weight Gain and Hair Loss During Anti-TNF Therapy
January 2012
in “
International Journal of Rheumatology
”
Studysummary In this study, weight gain and hair loss were reported as adverse effects of anti-TNF therapy in patients with rheumatic diseases, leading some to discontinue treatment. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study investigated the incidence of weight gain and hair loss as adverse effects of anti-TNF therapy in 150 patients with rheumatic diseases. Weight gain was observed in 20 patients (13.3%), with an average gain of 5.5 kg, leading to discontinuation of therapy in 5 cases. Hair loss was reported in 5 female patients (3.3%), resulting in therapy discontinuation in all cases. The findings suggested that weight gain and hair loss were associated with anti-TNF therapy and could be reasons for discontinuing the treatment. Further prospective studies were recommended to better understand these side effects.
