Association analysis between alopecia areata and thyroid autoimmunity in adults

Abstract

Objective To estimate the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and thyroid autoantibodies in adults with alopecia areata (AA) , and to analyze the relationship between alopecia areata (AA) and thyroid autoimmunity in adults. Methods A predesigned questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic information, medical history, and family history of AA in first-degree relatives from patients with AA. Thyroid function was evaluated, and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab) was screened in all the patients. Statistical analysis was carried out by the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. Results Totally, 209 patients with AA were enrolled. Of these patients, 6.7% were complicated by thyroid diseases, 20.6% were positive for TPO-Ab. Compared with the patients without TPO-Ab, those with TPO-Ab showed a significant increase in the proportion of patients with early-onset (< 18 years) AA (χ2= 5.589, P= 0.025) , prevalence rate of alopecia totalis/alopecia universalis (χ2= 9.990, P= 0.006) and thyroid diseases (χ2= 12.279, P= 0.002) , and incidence rate of AA in first-degree relatives (χ2= 14.426, P= 0.001) . Conclusions The positive rate of TPO-Ab is increased in patients with AA. It is recommended to evaluate thyroid function and to screen for thyroid autoantibodies in patients with AA despite of the absence of clinical manifestations of thyroid diseases. Key words: Alopecia areata; Thyroid gland; Thyroiditis, autoimmune; Hypothyroidism; Adult