Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms are not associated with alopecia areata.

BACKGROUND: It has been demonstrated that the vitamin D receptor (VDR) is strongly expressed in key structures of hair follicles, and a lack of VDR leads to alopecia. We investigated whether there was any association between VDR gene polymorphisms (BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI) and alopecia areata (AA). METHODS: Thirty-two patients with AA and 27 healthy control subjects were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. RESULTS: In the patient group, the B and b allele frequencies were 53.1% and 46.9%, A and a allele frequencies were 70.3% and 29.7%, and T and t allele frequencies were 62.5% and 37.5%, respectively. In the control group, the corresponding values were 51.9% and 48.1%, 63.0% and 37.0%, and 77.8% and 22.2%, respectively. In the patient group, the BB, Bb, and bb genotype frequencies were 25.0%, 56.2%, and 18.8%, AA, Aa, and aa genotype frequencies were 43.8%, 53.1%, and 3.1%, and TT, Tt, and tt genotype frequencies were 37.5%, 50.0%, and 12.5%, respectively. In the control group, the corresponding values were 11.1%, 81.5%, and 7.4%, 29.6%, 66.7%, and 3.7%, and 63.0%, 29.6%, and 7.4%, respectively. None of the allele or genotype frequencies showed statistically significant differences between the patient and control groups. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that there is no relationship between VDR gene polymorphisms and AA.