Dilation of Multiple Eccrine Ducts as a Highly Specific Marker for Cicatricial Alopecia

    November 2019 in “ The American Journal of Dermatopathology ”
    Timothy L. Tan, Kristina Doytcheva, Joan Guitart, Pedram Gerami, Pedram Yazdan
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    TLDR Widened sweat ducts are a very specific sign of scarring hair loss.
    The study analyzed 611 scalp biopsies to assess whether multiple eccrine duct dilation (MEDD) is a specific marker for cicatricial alopecia compared to noncicatricial alopecia. Out of 342 cases of cicatricial alopecia, 76 (22%) showed MEDD, while only 2 out of 269 (0.7%) cases of noncicatricial alopecia had MEDD, indicating a significant difference with a P-value <0.0001. The sensitivity and specificity of MEDD for diagnosing cicatricial alopecia were 22% and 99%, respectively. The study found that MEDD was associated with moderate to severe inflammation and fibroplasia, suggesting it is a response to scarring. The conclusion was that MEDD is a highly specific marker for cicatricial alopecia, aiding in more accurate diagnoses.
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