Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009;66:756-63.
N-acetylcysteine, a glutamate modulator, in the treatment of trichotillomania: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Grant JE,et al
CONTEXT: Trichotillomania is characterized by repetitive hair pulling that causes noticeable hair loss.. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and tolerability of N-acetylcysteine in adults with trichotillomania. DESIGN: Twelve-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Ambulatory care center. PATIENTS: Fifty individuals with trichotillomania INTERVENTIONS: N-acetylcysteine (dosing range, 1200-2400 mg/d) or placebo was administered for 12 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients were assessed using the Massachusetts General Hospital Hair Pulling Scale, the Clinical Global Impression scale, the Psychiatric Institute Trichotillomania Scale, and measures of depression, anxiety, and psychosocial functioning...snip... RESULTS: Patients assigned to receive N-acetylcysteine had significantly greater reductions in hair-pulling symptoms as measured using the Massachusetts General Hospital Hair Pulling Scale and the Psychiatric Institute Trichotillomania Scale. Fifty-six percent of patients "much or very much improved" with N-acetylcysteine use compared with 16% taking placebo. Significant improvement was initially noted after 9 weeks of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study, the first to our knowledge that examines the efficacy of a glutamatergic agent in the treatment of trichotillomania, found that N-acetylcysteine demonstrated statistically significant reductions in trichotillomania symptoms.
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ACETYLCYSTEINE - HSDB
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JAMA Dermatol. 2013 May 22:1-5. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2013.3049. [Epub ahead of print]
Autoimmune, Atopic, and Mental Health Comorbid Conditions Associated With Alopecia Areata in the United States.
Huang KP, Mullangi S, Guo Y, Qureshi AA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence of comorbid conditions among patients with alopecia areata (AA) seen at tertiary care hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts, during an 11-year period. DESIGN Retrospective cross-sectional study. SETTING Tertiary care hospitals in Boston, including Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. PARTICIPANTS We identified 3568 individuals with AA seen in the Partners health care system in Boston between January 1, 2000, and January 1, 2011. We performed comprehensive searches of the Research Patient Data Repository using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code 704.01. We randomly selected 350 patients and manually reviewed their medical records to train and validate a novel artificial intelligence program. This program then used natural language processing to review free-text medical records and confirm a diagnosis of AA. To confirm the algorithm, we manually reviewed a subset of records and found 93.9% validity. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The prevalence of comorbid conditions was assessed. RESULTS Common comorbid conditions included autoimmune diagnoses (thyroid disease in 14.6%, diabetes mellitus in 11.1%, inflammatory bowel disease in 6.3%, systemic lupus erythematosus in 4.3%, rheumatoid arthritis in 3.9%, and psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in 2.0%), atopy (allergic rhinitis, asthma, and/or eczema in 38.2% and contact dermatitis and other eczema in 35.9%), and mental health problems (depression or anxiety in 25.5%). We also found high prevalences of hyperlipidemia (24.5%), hypertension (21.9%), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (17.3%). This profile was different from that seen in a comparison psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis group. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE We found a high prevalence of comorbid conditions among individuals with AA presenting to academic medical centers in Boston. Physicians caring for patients with AA should consider screening for comorbid conditions.
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Hair Loss and Hair Loss Treatment
Hair Loss Treatment
Hair-Loss-Treatment.com enough said.
Adv Nurse Pract. 1999 Apr;7(4):39-42, 83. Hair-raising. The latest news on male-pattern baldness.
Proctor PH.
The initiating event in balding seems to be an abnormal sensitivity to the male sex hormones. In addition, a multifactorial model is emerging in which hormones affect the hair follicle in a way that causes it to be perceived as a foreign body by the immune system, which then mounts an attack. Several new classes of agents have the potential to treat hair loss. More than 40 U.S. and several hundred foreign patents have been issued for hair-loss treatment agents. As is common in dermatology, no single agent works universally against hair loss, so the treatment process is often one of trial and error.
This is a paper by Dr. Proctor