title: Serum Vitamin D in patients with alopecia areata.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alopecia areata (AA) is a common, recurrent, autoimmune hair disorder. It has been found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with many autoimmune diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study aimed to estimate serum levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D in patients with AA.
  
  
  METHODS
  This case-control study included 60 patients with AA and 60 age, gender, skin phototype, and body mass index-matched healthy subjects as a control group. Levels of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D were estimated using ELISA technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were significantly lower in AA cases when compared with healthy controls (P< 0.001). The least values were significantly associated with alopecia totalis/universalis compared with patchy AA (P< 0.001) and ophiasis (P= 0.04). Severe AA showed significantly the lowest vitamin D levels compared with cases with mild (P= 0.002) and moderate disease (P= 0.03). A significant inverse correlation was found between 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels and age of the patients (r= -0.38;P= 0.03). There was no significant association between serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels and gender, disease duration, disease recurrence, nail affection, duration of sun exposure/day, or positive family history of AA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AA patients have lower levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D than healthy subjects. More studies are required to assess the value of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of that disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Andrology and STDs, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufiya University, Menoufiya Governorate, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ola Ahmed
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Bakry
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Andrology and STDs, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufiya University, Menoufiya Governorate, Egypt.
authors.forename: Shawky M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: El Farargy
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufiya University, Menoufiya Governorate, Egypt.
authors.forename: Maathir K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: El Shafiee
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Andrology and STDs, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufiya University, Menoufiya Governorate, Egypt.
authors.forename: Amira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soliman
keywords: Alopecia areata; Vitamin D; autoimmunity; pathogenesis