Hair Loss in a Hemodialysis Patient after Repetitive Use of the Antipruritic Drug Nalfurafine: Implications of Impaired Angiogenesis for Hair Loss

Yujiro Kida; Shiro Itoh; Sei Yoshimi; Yuko Kobayashi; Masaaki Izumi

doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.4249-24

Hair Loss in a Hemodialysis Patient after Repetitive Use of the Antipruritic Drug Nalfurafine: Implications of Impaired Angiogenesis for Hair Loss

Intern Med. 2024 Oct 11. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.4249-24. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yujiro Kida^{1

2}, Shiro Itoh^{1

3}, Sei Yoshimi^{1

3}, Yuko Kobayashi⁴, Masaaki Izumi^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Nishidai Dialysis Center, Japan.
² Department of Nephrology, Takashimadaira Central General Hospital, Japan.
³ Department of Clinical Engineering, Takashimadaira Central General Hospital, Japan.
⁴ Department of General Internal Medicine, Itabashi Chuo Medical Center, Japan.

PMID: 39401915
DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.4249-24

Abstract

A 47-year-old man who presented with scalp hair loss was transferred to our dialysis facility 3 months after hemodialysis initiation. He noticed systemic hair loss one month after the initiation of dialysis. Because the antipruritic drug nalfurafine was the only drug that had been newly added to his regular medication after he started hemodialysis, we stopped its prescription. His hair loss was completely ameliorated for the next five months. We speculated that κ-opioid receptor activation by nalfurafine caused blood capillary regression around the hair follicles, leading to cessation of hair growth and subsequent hair fallout.

Keywords: capillary regression; hair loss; hemodialysis; nalfurafine; pruritus; κ-opioid receptor agonist.