Jaapie
25 april 2004, 21:48
Complete remission of alopecia universalis after allogeneic hematopoetic stem cell transplantation.
Seifert B, Passweg JR, Heim D, Rovo A, Meyer-Monard S, Buechner S, Tichelli A, Gratwohl A.
Division of Hematology, Internal Medicine, University Hospitals, Basel, Switzerland.
This case report is on a 40 year old male patient with CML receiving an allogeneic hematopoetic stem cell transplant (HSCT) in first chronic phase from an HLA-identical sibling brother. He suffered from alopecia universalis occurring 11 years previously. The alopecia involved all body hair including eyebrows and eyelashes. Between day 40 and day 55 posttransplant hair started to grow on the chin, eyelashes and on the top of his head. Immunosuppression was stopped at 6 months because of cytogenetic relapse and incomplete donor chimerism with some renewed hair loss. He returend to full donor chimerism with mild chronic graft-versus-host disease and continued hair growth. With 2 years of follow-up he has remained in continuous remission. Chimerism analyses of hair follicles did not show any donor alleles. Alopecia universalis is probably a chronic autoimmune disorder, curable with replacement of the immune system with an allogeneic HSCT.
Seifert B, Passweg JR, Heim D, Rovo A, Meyer-Monard S, Buechner S, Tichelli A, Gratwohl A.
Division of Hematology, Internal Medicine, University Hospitals, Basel, Switzerland.
This case report is on a 40 year old male patient with CML receiving an allogeneic hematopoetic stem cell transplant (HSCT) in first chronic phase from an HLA-identical sibling brother. He suffered from alopecia universalis occurring 11 years previously. The alopecia involved all body hair including eyebrows and eyelashes. Between day 40 and day 55 posttransplant hair started to grow on the chin, eyelashes and on the top of his head. Immunosuppression was stopped at 6 months because of cytogenetic relapse and incomplete donor chimerism with some renewed hair loss. He returend to full donor chimerism with mild chronic graft-versus-host disease and continued hair growth. With 2 years of follow-up he has remained in continuous remission. Chimerism analyses of hair follicles did not show any donor alleles. Alopecia universalis is probably a chronic autoimmune disorder, curable with replacement of the immune system with an allogeneic HSCT.