Serum vitamin D level is related to disease severity in pediatric alopecia areata.

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata (AA) is the most common cause of inflammatory hair loss. AA is considered an autoimmune disease and occurs with various autoimmune disorders. Recent studies have revealed connection between autoimmune diseases and vitamin D deficiency. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we investigated vitamin D status in AA and its relationship with disease severity, number of patches, and disease duration. METHODS: This study included 20 pediatric patients with AA and 34 pediatric healthy controls. The serum vitamin D levels were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean serum 25(OH)D concentration of patients was 15.47±7.66 ng/mL and of control group was 11.09±10.53 ng/mL. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups (P: .084). Vitamin D concentration had significantly and negatively correlated with SALT score (P<.001 and r: -.831), number of patch (P<.001 and r: -.989), and disease duration (P<.001 and r: -.997). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency is not the only etiologic factor in AA pathogenesis, but in the presence of other etiological factors, this deficiency can aggravate AA severity, and thus, vitamin D supplementation may be beneficial in treatment of pediatric AA.