Alopecia Areata and Thyroid Dysfunction Association- A Study from Eastern Nepal

Background Alopecia areata (AA) is one of the non-scarring alopecia. Its etiology has not been well established till date. The most convincing hypothesis is autoimmune process for its causation. Amongst all, most frequent association was found with thyroid disorder. Objective To study the association of thyroid dysfunction in patients with alopecia areata. Method All patients of alopecia areata attending dermatology outpatient department and currently not receiving any treatment for alopecia areata were enrolled in the study. Relevant history and examination findings were recorded in the preset pro-forma. All of them were subjected for thyroid function test by chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay method. Then thyroid function test of cases was compared with that of equal number of age and sex matched healthy controls. Result A total of 75 patients were enrolled in both case and control groups. Mean age of case and control groups were 29.40±9.90 and 28.96±9.89 years respectively (P=0.786). Median Severity of Alopecia Tool score was 2.47 (IQR=0.96-5.79). Prevalence of thyroid disorder was significantly higher in alopecia areata group (17.3%) as compared to the control group (1.3%) (P=0.001). Likewise, in individuals with abnormal thyroid function, alopecia areata disease severity grade and median severity of alopecia tool (SALT) score was higher as compared to those with normal thyroid function. Conclusion We found a significant association between alopecia areata and thyroid dysfunction. Hence thyroid function evaluation must be considered in individuals with alopecia areata. However, further studies with larger sample size are recommended before its generalization.