Alopecias

Abstract

Very little is written about the impact of chronic kidney disease on a patient’s hair. Perhaps this is because such patients often have many other manifestations of their disease that are considered far more serious. This chapter reviews the various factors that may cause alopecia associated with end-stage renal disease. While most instances of alopecia in end-stage renal disease are associated with telogen effluvium, this chapter examines common patterns and clinical courses. Categories reviewed include nutritional deficiencies, specifically iron and zinc deficiency, infectious associations including the human immunodeficiency virus syndrome and hepatitis, autoimmune disease, specifically systemic lupus erythematosus, and infiltrative causes such as amyloidosis. Also, a large portion of the chapter reviews drug induced causes of hair loss. A spectrum of drugs are discussed including those used in end-stage renal disease, those used in dialysis and drugs used after renal transplant.