Do statins cause alopecia?

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Original article by: Alexandra Denby

Publisher: London Medicines Information Service

Keywords: simvastatin, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, pravastatin, fluvastatin, alopecia

Date published: 22/03/2012 09:00

Review date: 31/03/2014 09:00

Summary

by: Alexandra Denby

As hair loss is a generally accepted male characteristic, drug-induced alopecia may be mistaken as part of a natural process and therefore under reported.
There have been reports of alopecia associated with the use of all UK licensed statins but there is insufficient data to confidently attribute hair loss to statin use.
Case studies suggest an association but as yet there is insufficient information to suggest a mechanism, make comparisons of the individual incidence of alopecia between the various statins or propose a class effect.
The greatest number of reports of alopecia is for simvastatin but this may be related to e.g. market share, length of time on market.

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Category: 2.12 Lipid-regulating drugs | Dermatology | FAQs

NeLM area: Evidence > Medicines Q & A