Alopecia Universalis in a Multiple Sclerosis Patient After Switching From Rituximab to Ocrelizumab: A Case Report
December 2024
in “
International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases
”
TLDR Ocrelizumab may cause total body hair loss in some patients.
This case report describes a 37-year-old woman with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who developed alopecia universalis after switching her treatment from rituximab to ocrelizumab. The patient experienced patchy scalp hair loss a day after her second dose of ocrelizumab, which rapidly progressed to total body hair loss within 3-4 days. The study suggests that ocrelizumab may trigger autoimmune reactions, such as alopecia universalis, in immunocompromised patients.