Evaluation of the Relationship Between Alopecia Areata and Viral Antigen Exposure

August 2017 in “ American journal of clinical dermatology ”

Christopher T. Richardson, Matthew S. Hayden, Elaine S. Gilmore, Brian Poligone

alopecia areata hepatitis B virus HBV interferon-beta IFN-β SLC45A2 MHC AA

TLDR Hepatitis B virus exposure may be linked to increased risk of alopecia areata.

The study investigated the link between hepatitis B virus (HBV) antigen exposure and alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune hair loss condition. It identified two pediatric AA cases post-HBV vaccination and found an increased frequency of AA among those exposed to the HBV surface protein antigen (odds ratio 2.7, p < 0.0001) and those receiving interferon-beta (IFN-β) treatment (odds ratio 8.1, p < 0.05). The study suggested SLC45A2 as a potential antigenic target and indicated that a peptide fragment from the vaccine could bind to MHC relevant to AA. The findings pointed to associations between viral infection, IFN treatment, and AA, but further validation was needed.

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