Introduction

Autoimmune polyglandular syndromes (APS) are a group of disorders presenting diverse clinical pictures. They are characterized by concomitance of autoimmune diseases. Most of them are linked to dysfunction of endocrine glands, which are targeted by autoantibodies. Four main types of syndromes are described in the literature: APS-1, APS-2, APS-3, and APS-4. All of them are genetically determined.

Objective

A case of 57-year-old woman is presented, in which APS-4 co-occures with generalized alopecia and rheumatoid arthritis.

Case Report

A fifty-seven-year-old woman with a 4-year history of leg ulcers was admitted to the Dermatology Clinic. The physical examination revealed a loss of eyebrows, eyelashes, the scalp hair and axillary hair. Antithyroid microsomal antibodies were found in the serum. For the last 15 years, she has been periodically treated for rheumatoid arthritis with sulfasalazine, methotrexate, and methylprednisolone.

Conclusions

The report indicates that patients with a single organ-specific autoimmune disease should be examined for other coexisting autoimmune disorders