Nail Abnormalities, Atopy Associated With Increased Autoimmune Comorbidities in AA

While alopecia areata (AA) has been associated with increased rates of autoimmune diseases, risk factors for these comorbidities are still largely unknown. Chanprapaph et al found that female sex, nail abnormalities, and atopy were potential risk factors for autoimmune diseases in patients with AA.

The authors conducted a case-control study of patients diagnosed with AA between January 2000 and March 2020, comparing patients with concomitant autoimmune diseases and those without autoimmune diseases. They sought to identify the specific risk factors for various concomitant autoimmune diseases.

In total, the analysis included 615 patients with AA. Of these patients, 76 had concomitant autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune thyroid disease, vitiligo, and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Upon logistic regression analysis, they found that female sex, nail abnormalities, and atopic diseases were all significantly associated with coexisting autoimmune diseases. Individually, female sex and family history of autoimmune disease were predictors of systemic lupus erythematosus, nail abnormalities were a predictor of autoimmune thyroid disease, and atopic disease were a predictor of vitiligo.

The authors added that “a thorough review of systems for associated factors can help physicians screen for concomitant [autoimmune diseases].”

Reference
Chanprapaph K, Mahasaksiri T, Kositkuljorn C, Leerunyakul K, Suchonwanit P. Prevalance and risk factors associated with the occurrence of autoimmune diseases in patients with alopecia areata. J Inflamm Res. 2021;14:488-4897. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S331579