Serum zinc level in patients with alopecia areata
Abstract
Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is a non-scarring, autoimmune hair disorder. Zinc is an essential trace element that strengthens cellular immunity by enhancing T-cell response and preventing oxidative cellular death. Recent epidemiologic studies have shown that zinc deficiency is rather frequent among alopecia areata patients. Objective: To assess serum zinc levels in patients with alopecia areata and explore a probable relationship. Materials and methods: This one-year case-control study was conducted on 48 diagnosed alopecia areata patients and 48 healthy age and sex-matched controls in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, BSMMU. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information. The Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) was used to assess disease severity, and 5ml of venous blood was collected from each participant for serum zinc level measurement of mean serum zinc levels was done between patients and controls. Correlations between serum zinc level and disease duration, as well as SALT scoring, were done in all patients. Results: Out of 48 patients, the male to female ratio was 4.3:1 with a mean age of 26.69±6.93 range (14-45) years. The mean duration of the disease was 3.29±0.67 range (1-5) years. The mean ±SD serum zinc level in the patients' group (0.85±0.17) range (0.66-1.11 mcg/ml) was lower than in the healthy control group (0.95±0.28) (p=0.038). Serum zinc had a weak negative correlation with SALT score (r=-0.336, p=0.013) and no correlation with the duration of AA (r= -0.113, p=0.459). Conclusion: Serum zinc levels may be considered as a biochemical marker for the severity of alopecia areata. Oral zinc supplementation may be a new therapeutic approach to alopecia areata. Limitations: This study revealed that serum zinc levels in patients with alopecia areata were found to be within the normal range but lower than those of controls. Further studies may reveal a more significant relation between serum zinc levels and alopecia areata.
Keywords: Alopecia Areata, Zinc, Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT).