Summary
After 2 weeks of treatment, a woman with multiple sclerosis treated with dimethyl fumarate developed alopecia. Considering the adverse events, the therapy was discontinued, leading to alopecia regression during the next 3 months. Although the precise mechanism has not been completely elucidated, glutathione depletion or downregulation of aerobic glycolysis are considered to be potential reasons for hair loss induction. The incidence and mechanism of this uncommon adverse reaction to dimethyl fumarate should be further investigated.
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Study concept and design, data acquisition, data analysis and interpretation, drafting of the manuscript, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and administrative, technical, and material support: Ana Abičić, Ivan Adamec, and Mario Habek.
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I. Adamec participated as a clinical investigator and/or received consultation and/or speaker fees from Biogen, Sanofi Genzyme, Merck, Bayer, Novartis, Pliva/Teva, Roche, Alvogen, Actelion, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, TG Pharmaceuticals. M. Habek participated as a clinical investigator and/or received consultation and/or speaker fees from Biogen, Sanofi Genzyme, Merck, Bayer, Novartis, Pliva/Teva, Roche, Alvogen, Actelion, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, TG Pharmaceuticals. A. Abičić declares that he has no competing interests.
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The adverse effect reported in this manuscript has been reported to the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of Croatia (HALMED)
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Abičić, A., Adamec, I. & Habek, M. Alopecia associated with dimethyl fumarate treatment for multiple sclerosis. Wien Med Wochenschr 173, 287–289 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-023-01007-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-023-01007-7