Exploring the overlap between alopecia areata and major depressive disorder: Epidemiological and genetic perspectives

January 2023 in “ Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology ”

Jerome C. Foo, Silke Redler, Andreas J. Forstner, F. Buket Basmanav, Lynn Pethukova, Jia Guo, Fabian Streit, Stephanie H. Witt, Lea Sirignano, Lea Zillich, Swapnil Awasthi, Stephan Ripke, Angela M. Christiano, Falko Tesch, Jochen Schmitt, Markus M. Nöthen, Regina C. Betz, Marcella Rietschel, Josef Frank

The study found that patients with alopecia areata (AA) had a higher prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD), consistent with previous research. The analyses suggested that the genetic overlap between AA and MDD might be limited to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, which plays a role in immune function. Further research was needed to better understand the involvement of the MHC in the comorbidity of AA and MDD.

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Exploring the overlap between alopecia areata and major depressive disorder: Epidemiological and genetic perspectives

Research cited in this study

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research Alopecia Areata Is Characterized by Dysregulation in Systemic Type 17 and Type 2 Cytokines, Which May Contribute to Disease-Associated Psychological Morbidity

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