Hair dye treatment use and clinical course in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and cutaneous lupus

• Published in: Lupus Vol. 11; no. 7; pp. 430 - 434
• Main Authors: Jiménez-Alonso, J, Sabio, J M, Pérez-Alvarez, F, Reche, I, Hidalgo, C, Jáimez, L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2002; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Autoimmune diseases; Disease; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hair Dyes - adverse effects; Hospitals; Humans; Internal medicine; Lupus; Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous - etiology; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - etiology; Male; Middle Aged; Patients; Questionnaires; Rheumatology; Severity of Illness Index; Skin; Surveys and Questionnaires; Ulcers; Spain; disease activity; hair dye treatment; systemic lupus erythematosus; cutaneous lupus
• ISSN: 0961-2033; 1477-0962
• DOI: 10.1191/0961203302lu231oa

The etiological role of hair dye treatment (HDT), some of them such as permanent hair dyes containing aromatic amines, in the development of SLE has been previously ruled out. However, the possible influence of HDT use on the course and prognosis of lupus patients has been assessed only in one short-term study. Since HDT is very extensive among the population, the knowledge of this possible negative effect may be very important. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the long-term influence of several HDTs on the course and clinical severity of patients with both systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and cutaneous lupus (CL). In this longitudinal case series study, 91 SLE patients and 22 CL patients were prospectively studied from October 1988 to May 2000. They were divided into three groups: (a) non-HDT users— patients who have never used HDT (n = 65); (b) P-HDT users—HDT permanent type users, alone or in combination with other types of HDT (n = 28); (c) non P-HDT—users of other treatments different from permanent tinting (bleach, lowlights, etc; n = 20). In each patient we determined: (1) number of flares/year in SLE patients and worsening of cutaneous lesions for CL; (2) Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) damage index; (3) predominant damaged organs/systems according to the HDT use and type of HDT; and (4) subjective impression about the disease evolution in relation to HDT use. No significant differences were found with respect to flares/year and SLICC/ACR damage index between the study groups. Non-HDT group presented more renal involvement and serositis than both HDT-user groups. No patient related the HDT use to the worsening of his disease. Therefore, in this study no evidence of an association between the long-term use of several types of HDT and the clinical activity and course of SLE and CL was found.