Genetic Analysis of Interleukin 18 Gene Polymorphisms in Alopecia Areata

The study investigated the association between IL-18 gene polymorphisms (rs187238 and rs1946518) and alopecia areata (AA) in a Turkish population. It included 200 patients with AA and 200 control subjects. Results showed that the genotype distributions of both rs1946518 (−607C>A) and rs187238 (−137G>C) were significantly different between patients and controls, with specific genotypes and allele frequencies being higher in AA patients. The findings suggested that these IL-18 polymorphisms might contribute to the susceptibility to AA.