Prevalence of Vitamin-D Deficiency among Individuals Diagnosed with Alopecia Areata

Abstract

Objective: An immunological response causes hair follicle inflammation in alopecia areata (AA). Alopecia totalis, universalis, and patchy hair loss may occur. This Study examined vita min-d deficiency in alopecia areata patients.

Study Design: A case-control study

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Department of Dermatology, Farooq Hospital Islamabad from October 2022 to July 2023.

Methods: This case-control Study was done on 45 alopecia areata (AA) patients and 45 controls. Serum 25-hydroxy vita min-d [25-(OH)-D3] levels were measured in all individuals. The SALT was used to assess alopecia's severity. Venous blood samples were taken in the lab for 25-(OH) vita min-d enzyme immunoassay on a chemical analyzer. The analytical data was recorded in SPSS 27.

Results: The  mean age of study and control group was 22.94 ±7.92 years and 23.84 ±8.46 years respectively. The median (IQR) of vita min-d level of study and control group was 14.6±17.9) ng/dL and 23.2±15.32 ng/dL respectively. The incidence of Unifocal, Multifocal, Oophiasis, Alopecia universalis, and Alopecia totalis were different pattern of alopecia found in 20% (n=9), 51.1% (n=23), 11.1% (n=5), 6.7% (n=3), and 11.1% (n=5) respectively. Significant differences between study and control group were seen in terms of vita min-d levels based on SALT score that was 23.5 ng/dl in S1 compared to 7.9 ng/dl in S5.

Conclusion: It has been observed that a significant association between lower serum vita min-d levels and alopecia areata (AA) compared to the levels in healthy controls. This suggests that there may be a correlation between AA and vita min-d deficiency, as the mean vita min-d levels in patients were notably lower than healthy control group.