Trichotillomania: a good response to treatment with N-acetylcysteine

• Autor(a) principal: Lopes Barroso, Livia Ariane [UNIFESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Outros Autores: Sternberg, Flavia [UNIFESP], Inacio de Fraia e Souza, Maria Natalia [UNIFESP], de Barros Nunes, Gisele Jacobino [UNIFESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/abd1806-4841.20175435; https://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/53516
• topic: Acetylcysteine; Alopecia; Glutamates; Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is considered a behavioral disorder and is characterized by the recurring habit of pulling one's hair, resulting in secondary alopecia. It affects 1% of the adult population, and 2 to 4.4% of psychiatric patients meet the diagnostic criteria. It can occur at any age and is more prevalent in adolescents and females. Its occurrence in childhood is not uncommon and tends to have a more favorable clinical course. The scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes are the most commonly affected sites. Glutamate modulating agents, such as N-acetylcysteine, have been shown to be a promising treatment. N-acetylcysteine acts by reducing oxidative stress and normalizing glutaminergic transmission. In this paper, we report a case of trichotillomania with an excellent response to N-acetylcysteine.