Abstract

Objectives: AIM AND OBJECTIVES To find the correlation between Alopecia Areata and thyroid related disorders. Objective – 1. To assess the severity and duration of Alopecia Areata in varied age groups of patients visiting the dermatology OPD. 2. To determine the levels of serum T3, T4, TSH and anti-TPO antibodies in patients with Alopecia Areata. 3. To compare the association between Alopecia Areata and thyroid dysfunction. Introduction: Alopecia Areata (AA) is a common hair loss condition with a lifetime prevalence of approximately 2% that is characterized by acute onset of non-scarring hair loss in usually sharply defined areas. The most frequent clinical presentation of AA is in the form of single or multiple patches. The characteristic patch of AA is usually round or oval and is completely bald and smooth. Occasionally, AA may progress to complete baldness, which is referred to as alopecia (areata) totalis. When the entire body suffers from complete hair loss, it is referred to as alopecia (areata) universalis. Materials / method: Study design: Cross sectional study Inclusion criteria – - All consenting patients aged between 7 to 70 years with clinically diagnosed Alopecia Areata attending skin OPD were included in the study. Patients belonging to Paediatric age group, consent from both the parents was obtained - Both sexes were included Exclusion criteria: - Patients with other autoimmune disorders - Patients on systemic steroids Sample size: 100 participants Sampling technique – Convenience sampling Results: Positive family history of alopecia areata was noted in 83% cases. Atopy was noted in 60% of patients. Patchy type was the most common type of AA encountered (69%). Nail involvement was seen in 13% cases and pitting was the commonest finding. Three patients (3%) had hypothyroidism as defined by low T3 & T4 levels. None of our patients had deranged TSH levels. Anti TPO antibody positivity was observed in 43 % and anti-thyroglobulin antibody positivity was observed in 31 % of the study participants. No correlation was found between Alopecia Areata and thyroid disorder. Conclusion: Our study found no significant association between Alopecia areata and autoimmune thyroid dysfunction. Lack of control group, small sample size and lack of long term follow up are the limitations of the present study. We suggest studies involving large sample size with control group and with long term follow up to determine the association between alopecia areata and thyroid dysfunction. Our findings do not support screening for thyroid disease in Alopecia areata patients without obvious thyroid disorder. Longer follow ups are needed to observe if patient develop clinical thyroid dysfunction.