Nonscarring Alopecia in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Cross-Sectional Study with Trichoscopic, Histopathologic, and Immunopathologic Analyses

The study examined nonscarring alopecia in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by analyzing 32 patients with alopecia and 10 without. It identified various alopecia patterns and found that nonscarring alopecia was associated with higher SLE disease activity, suggesting it could be an indicator of active SLE. Trichoscopic and histopathologic analyses revealed lupus-specific changes, such as arborizing vessels and interface changes at the dermoepidermal junction. The study concluded that nonscarring alopecia in SLE might share a distinct pathomechanism and highlighted the need for further research with larger cohorts to confirm these findings. Limitations included its small, single-center design and focus on Southeast Asian participants.