Deficiency Pattern and Responsiveness in Clinical Settings in Discovering the Correlation between Vitamin D Analogues and Hair Growth in Alopecia Areata

Authors

  • Adeeba Ahmad, Nabeela Kanwal, Ayesha Jamil, Muhammad Ikram Ul Haq, Shandana Altaf, Naveed Lodhi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs2023172931

Abstract

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by patchy hair loss, often linked to vitamin D deficiency, which plays a crucial role in the regulation of hair follicle cycling.

Objective: To evaluate the level of serum vitamin D in Alopecia areata (AA) patients, as well as the relationship between the condition's severity and the effectiveness of vitamin D analogues in these individuals.

 Methods: A randomized control study was conducted using non-probability consecutive sampling, including 143 patients. The AA was diagnosed through clinical and dermoscopic features, along with the SALT score calculation. Serum vitamin D levels and baseline demographics were recorded for each patient. For one year, 0.005% calcipotriol was applied topically twice daily. Patients were followed up with every month, and a concluding SALT score was assessed at the termination of the study to evaluate treatment effectiveness. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 31.2 ± 8.9 years, with 58% female and 42% male. After six months, the mean SALT score dropped from 21.2 ± 5.8 at baseline to 9.7 ± 3.2. Serum vitamin D levels were low in 99 out of 143 individuals (69.2%). Using SALT50 as a metric of effectiveness, topical calcipotriol was found to be beneficial in 101 patients (70.6%) overall.

Conclusion: AA patients have considerably lower serum vitamin D levels, and its analogues can help grow more hair, significantly reducing the severity of AA.

Keywords: Alopecia areata; Calcipotriol; SALT score; Vitamin D deficiency.

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How to Cite

Adeeba Ahmad, Nabeela Kanwal, Ayesha Jamil, Muhammad Ikram Ul Haq, Shandana Altaf, Naveed Lodhi. (2023). Deficiency Pattern and Responsiveness in Clinical Settings in Discovering the Correlation between Vitamin D Analogues and Hair Growth in Alopecia Areata. Pakistan Journal of Medical & Health Sciences, 17(02), 931. https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs2023172931