Alopecia Areata: A Possible Extraintestinal Manifestation of Crohn's Disease
June 2012
in “
Journal of Crohn's and colitis
”
TLDR Alopecia Areata might be linked to Crohn's disease.
The document discussed Alopecia Areata (AA) as a chronic inflammatory hair disease characterized by non-scarring hair loss, potentially linked to an abnormal immune response involving CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. It highlighted the significant role of the Th1 cytokine profile, with increased levels of IFN-γ, IL-1, and TNF-α in AA patients compared to healthy controls. The document also suggested a possible connection between AA and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn's disease, indicating that AA might be an extraintestinal manifestation of IBD.