A alopecia difusa não-cicatricial (ADNC) acomete 7% dos pacientes HIV positivos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar os achados histológicos e imunohistoquímicos (citoqueratina 19/TUNEL e caspase 3 clivada) em cortes transversais de couro cabeludo de 15 pacientes HIV-1 positivos com ADNC e de 12 controles sadios. A apoptose de células tronco-foliculares e amplificadoras transitórias na protuberância folicular foi demonstrada pela dupla marcação TUNEL/CK19 em 80% dos casos e em 25% dos controles e, pelo anticorpo anti-caspase 3 clivada em 61% dos casos e 16% dos controles. Não houve correlação entre a incidência de apoptose e o grau de imunodeficiência dentre os casos

Seven percent of HIV positive patients present diffuse non-cicatricial alopecia (DNCA). The aim of this study was to compare the histological and the immunohistochemical (cytokeratin 19/TUNEL and cleaved caspase 3) findings in transverse scalp sections of 15 HIV-1 positive patients with DNCA and 12 healthy controls. Follicular stem and transit amplifying cells apoptosis in the bulge was demonstrated by double labeling TUNEL/CK19 in 80% of cases and 25% of controls, and by the anti-cleaved caspase 3 antibody in 61% of cases and 16% of the controls. There was no relation between the incidence of apoptosis and the degree of immunodeficiency among cases