Alopecia Universalis After Alemtuzumab in Multiple Sclerosis: A Nine Year Follow-Up and Review of Literature

August 2024

Parthvi Ravat, Paul Stockle, Andrew Lee

alopecia universalis alemtuzumab baricitinib steroid injections cyclosporin CD4+ T cells CD8+ T cells CD19+ B cells alopecia hair loss steroids

TLDR Alopecia universalis from alemtuzumab in multiple sclerosis can be reversed with specific treatments.

This document reports a case of a 36-year-old male with multiple sclerosis who developed alopecia universalis after starting alemtuzumab treatment in 2015, with hair loss beginning in 2019. The patient eventually lost all body hair, including eyebrows, but returned to normal after treatment with baricitinib, steroid injections, and cyclosporin over a 9-year follow-up. The study highlights the potential risk of skin disorders, including alopecia, due to the depletion of peripheral CD4+, CD8+ T cells, and CD19+ B cells caused by alemtuzumab. It emphasizes the importance of registry data for monitoring such side effects in large populations and the need for multidisciplinary care in managing multiple sclerosis.

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Related Research

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research Alopecia Universalis After Alemtuzumab Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis: A Two-Year Follow-Up of Two Patients

3 citations , July 2021 in “International journal of environmental research and public health/International journal of environmental research and public health”

Two patients developed complete hair loss after Alemtuzumab treatment for MS, with no regrowth after two years.