Assessment of Metabolic Profile and Ischemia-modified Albumin Level in Patients with Alopecia Areata: A Case-Control...

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune-mediated hair follicle disorder. In the literature, there is no study evaluating metabolic syndrome and levels of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) which is proposed as an oxidative stress biomarker in patients with AA.

The aim was to investigate the presence of metabolic syndrome and the levels of IMA, small dense low-density lipoprotein (sd-LDL), and visfatin levels in AA patients.

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was undertaken among AA patients and controls.

Thirty-five patients with AA and 35 sex-, age-, and body mass index-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Clinical and laboratory parameters of metabolic syndrome were examined in all participants. Furthermore, IMA, sd-LDL, and visfatin levels were assessed and analyzed with regard to disease pattern, severity and extent, severity of alopecia tool score, duration, and recurrence.

The median IMA and adjusted IMA levels were significantly increased compared with controls (P<0.05 and P=0.002, respectively). Patients with pull test positivity displayed higher levels of adjusted IMA levels (P<0.05). In AA group, there was a positive correlation between adjusted IMA and waist circumference (r=0.443, P=0.008), adjusted IMA and triglyceride levels (r=0.535, P=0.001), and adjusted IMA and sd-LDL levels (r=0.46, P<0.05). We observed no statistically significant difference in fasting blood glucose and lipid profile, sd-LDL, and visfatin levels of the patients and healthy controls.

AA patients and controls have similar metabolic profile. Raised levels of adjusted IMA levels may be associated with antioxidant/oxidant imbalance and with risk of cardiovascular disease.