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Centrifugal lipodystrophy of the scalp manifesting as centrifugal lipodystrophic alopecia
Author(s) -
Harada K.,
Maeda T.,
Matsubayashi J.,
Uchiyama M.,
Irisawa R.,
Go K.,
Tsuboi R.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
clinical and experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1365-2230
pISSN - 0307-6938
DOI - 10.1111/ced.13328
Subject(s) - lipodystrophy , scalp , hair loss , adipose tissue , leptin , adipokine , medicine , adiponectin , immunohistochemistry , endocrinology , lesion , inflammation , pathology , dermatology , obesity , immunology , viral load , insulin resistance , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , antiretroviral therapy
Summary Centrifugal lipodystrophy ( CLD ), characterized by a depressed lesion in the abdominal skin, is a chronic disease occurring more often among younger patients of East Asian descent. We present an extremely unusual case of CLD of the scalp associated with reversible hair loss. The patient demonstrated alopecia in the frontal, temporal and occipital areas of the scalp, which connected to form a ring‐shaped area of hair loss. Curiously, the area of hair loss gradually expanded outwards while the central region showed normal hair regrowth. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated reduced expression of leptin, an adipokine capable of inducing the anagen phase of the hair cycle, in the adipose tissue, associated with active inflammation. By contrast, recovery of leptin expression was observed at sites of healed inflammatory lesions, suggesting that reversible hair loss might be caused by a change in leptin expression in adipose tissue.