Alopecia Areata in Twins With Autoimmune Thyroiditis: Personal Observations

July 2019 in “ Dermatology practical & conceptual ”

Giusy Schipani, Stefano Dastoli, Elisabetta Scali, Luigi Bennardo, Martina Silvestri, Steven Paul Nisticò

alopecia areata autoimmune thyroiditis betamethasone vasodilatory lotions antiseptic lotions autoantibody dermatological manifestations AA thyroiditis steroid scalp lotion

TLDR The study found that alopecia areata is strongly linked to autoimmune diseases and may indicate a genetic predisposition to such conditions.

In 2019, a study was conducted on two 15-year-old monozygotic twins who were affected by alopecia areata (AA) and thyroiditis. The twins had different patterns of hair loss, with one having widespread alopecia and the other having localized, round, small alopecia. Blood tests revealed that both twins had autoimmune thyroiditis, with very high autoantibody values. They were treated with oral betamethasone, vasodilatory and antiseptic lotions of the scalp, which led to a partial remission of their dermatological manifestations. The study concluded that there is a strong association between autoimmune diseases and AA, and that patients with AA may be genetically predisposed to develop this kind of disease. It was also suggested that AA could be a warning sign for other diseases that affect the thyroid.

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