Abstract
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune, inflammatory form of non-scarring hair loss that may affect any hair-bearing area. Recently, an increased risk of cardiovascular disorders has been described in patients with alopecia areata. The aim of the study was to evaluate the serum concentrations of proinflammatory proteins associated with atherosclerosis (chemokine C-C motif ligand 4; CCL4, chemokine C-C motif ligand 7, CCL7; and sortilin, SORT1), and cardiovascular risk (myeloperoxidase, MPO; interleukin 1 receptor-like 1, IL1RL1; and growth differentiation factor 15, GDF15) in patients with alopecia areata without symptoms or prior cardiovascular disease in comparison with healthy controls. Sixty otherwise healthy patients with alopecia areata and twenty control subjects matched for age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) were enrolled in the study. No significant differences in the serum levels of MPO, IL1RL1, CCL4, CCL7, SORT1, and GDF15 were detected between patients with alopecia areata and healthy controls. A positive correlation was found between the serum concentration of CCL7 and the severity of alopecia areata (r = 0.281, p = 0.03), while GDF15 correlated with age at the disease onset (r = 0.509, p < 0.0001). The results of the present study suggest that the severity of alopecia areata may be associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis.
Highlights
Numerous systemic conditions are associated with future cardiovascular events
The aim of the study was to evaluate the serum concentrations of proinflammatory proteins associated with atherosclerosis (CCL4, C-C motif ligand 7 (CCL7), and SORT1) and cardiovascular risk (MPO, interleukin 1 receptorlike 1 (IL1RL1), and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15)) in patients with alopecia areata without symptoms or prior cardiovascular disease in comparison with healthy controls
No significant differences in the serum concentrations of MPO, IL1RL1, C-C motif ligand 4 (CCL4), CCL7, SORT1, and GDF15 were detected between patients with alopecia areata and healthy controls (Table 1)
Summary
Numerous systemic conditions are associated with future cardiovascular events. Wellestablished risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases include diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and a positive family history as well as non-independent risk variables, such as smoking and being overweight. Chronic inflammation was postulated to play an important role in the development and propagation of cardiovascular conditions [1]. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune type of non-scarring hair loss [2]. Alopecia areata is caused by the infiltrates of T helper cells, cytolytic T cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, and natural killer cells around the lower part of the hair bulb in the anagen phase, which induce the collapse of the hair follicle immune privilege and subsequent hair loss [4]
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