Changes of serum trace elements level in patients with alopecia areata: A meta-analysis.
Abnormalities of serum trace elements are involved in the etiology and pathogenesis of alopecia areata (AA); however, the results of published studies are controversial. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the alterations of serum level of trace elements and AA using a meta-analysis approach. We searched all articles indexed in PubMed, Embase and Science Citation Index published up to 30 April 2016 concerning the association between serum level of zinc, copper, iron/ferritin, selenium or magnesium and AA. Ten eligible articles involving 764 subjects were identified. Overall, pooled analysis indicated that patients with AA had a lower serum level of zinc (P < 10-4) and selenium (P < 10-4) than the healthy controls. However, there was no significant difference between the AA patients and controls in the levels of serum copper (P = 0.81), serum iron (P = 0.36), serum ferritin (P = 0.37) and serum magnesium (P = 0.07). This meta-analysis suggests that low serum levels of zinc and selenium seem to be important risk factors for AA.
Department of Dermatology, Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai, China.
Waishu
W
Jin
Department of Dermatology, Changchun Center Hospital, Changchun, China.
Haibo
H
Zheng
Department of Dermatology and Venerology, No. 2 Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Baihui
B
Shan
Department of Dermatology and Venerology, No. 2 Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Yi
Y
Wu
D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000097:blood*
D014131:Trace Elements
alopecia areata; meta-analysis; selenium; trace element; zinc