Assessment of a Bidirectional Association Between Major Depressive Disorder and Alopecia Areata

January 2019 in “ JAMA Dermatology ”

Isabelle A. Vallerand, Ryan T. Lewinson, Laurie Parsons, Jori Hardin, Richard M. Haber, Mark Lowerison, Cheryl Barnabé, Scott B. Patten

alopecia areata major depressive disorder antidepressant inflammatory factors genetic factors AA MDD

TLDR People with Major Depressive Disorder have a higher chance of getting Alopecia Areata, and vice versa; antidepressants may lower this risk.

The study from April 1, 2019, found a significant bidirectional association between Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Alopecia Areata (AA), with a 26-year follow-up of a large UK patient cohort. It showed that MDD patients had a 90% increased risk of developing AA, while AA patients had a 34% increased risk of developing MDD. Antidepressant use among MDD patients was associated with a reduced risk of AA. These findings suggest shared inflammatory and genetic factors between MDD and AA, though further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms. Despite potential misclassification of cases, the results are considered conservative and support a biopsychosocial approach to disease pathogenesis.

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