Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Inhibitor-Associated Psoriatic Alopecia in a Patient with Ulcerative Colitis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Paradoxical reactions in patients treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (TNFis) have an estimated prevalence of 1.5% to 5%. Such reactions usually present as psoriasiform eruptions on the trunk and extremities along with palmar and flexural involvement. When affecting the scalp, new-onset psoriasis induced by TNFi can result in non-scarring or scarring alopecia. Although the paradoxical reaction was first reported in 2003, this TNFi-associated psoriatic alopecia (TiAPA) has been recently reported with increasing frequency. This condition is characteristically reversible and requires clinical and histopathological identification from other diseases for proper treatment. The cessation of TNFi therapy may not be mandatory, and decision to continue TNFi therapy depends on the severity of TiAPA and the risk-benefit ratio of treatment modification on the underlying disease. Herein, we report a case of TiAPA in a patient with inflammatory bowel disease whose alopecia improved following suspension of TNFi. We also describe the clinical and histopathological diagnostic criteria based on review of the literature.

Keywords: Alopecia; Psoriasis; Tumor necrosis factor-alpha.