Association of vitamin D level with alopecia areata

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disorder ofhair follicles. We aimed to find the association between VitaminD level and AA.Method: Eligible AA patients and controls were enrolled inthis case-control study and serum samples were assessed for25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-(OH)-D3). The levels of 25-(OH)-D3were categorized as deficient (<10ng/ml), insufficient (10 to<30 mg/ml) and sufficient (>30ng/dl) and the SALT (Severityof Alopecia Tool) score was used to assess the severity of thedisease. The data was analysed and the association betweenvitamin D levels and AA, disease distribution, and the patternof hair loss was investigated.Result: Twenty eight patients (19 males, 9 females) and 44healthy controls (16 males, 28 females) were assessed. Therewas no statistically significant difference between patients andcontrols with regard to the level of 25(OH)D3 when the data wasadjusted for gender (Ordinal odds ratio: 0.49 (0.18-1.34 and 95%CI, p-value=0.16). The level of 25(OH)D3 was lower in patientswith nail involvement in contrast to those without it (P=0.02);moreover, no significant difference was found between patientswith different patterns of hair loss.Conclusion: After adjustment for gender, there was no associationbetween AA and the level of vitamin D.