Evaluation of thyroid gland dysfunction in patients with alopecia areate

Introduction: Alopecia areata is a common clinical problem involving 1% of population. It is associated with many autoimmune disorders. One of the most common associations is autoimmune thyroid disease. So it seems necessary to examine the patients with alopecia areata more exactly. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate thyroid gland dysfunction in patients with alopecia areata. Materials and Methods: The study was a descriptive prospective study that its statistical population was all patients with alopecia areata who referred to the department of dermatology, Sina hospital, between 1999-2001. All patients with alopecia areata were tested for thyroid gland function and then by using the results of these tests and also by history and clinical examination, analysis were done. Findings: 46.8% of the patients with alopecia were male and 53.2% were female and mean age of the patients was 24 years. 9.1% of the patients with alopecia areata had thyroid dysfunction and all of them were hypothroid. 13.67% of female patients with alopecia areata were hypothyroid but only 3.88% of the male patients were hypothyroid. Conclusion: Prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients with alopecia areata is considerable specially among women, so thyroid function test is recommended for all patients with alopecia areata.