Association Between Alopecia Areata and Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis investigated the association between alopecia areata (AA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) by analyzing data from five studies involving 238,270 AA patients. The results indicated that AA patients have a higher odds ratio (OR = 1.71) for CVD outcomes compared to controls, with a particularly strong risk observed in patients with alopecia totalis or alopecia universalis (OR = 3.80). However, no significant associations were found between patch-type AA and CVD, or between AA and specific conditions like ischemic stroke or myocardial infarction. The study suggests that systemic inflammation in AA may contribute to increased cardiovascular risk, highlighting the need for further research to confirm these findings and explore the mechanisms involved.