Gut Microbiota and Its Association with Alopecia Areata: Insights from a Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study
July 2023
in “
Research Square (Research Square)
”
TLDR Certain gut bacteria may protect against alopecia areata, while others may increase the risk.
This study investigates the causal relationship between gut microbiota and alopecia areata (AA) using data from GWAS involving 13,266 individuals for gut microbiota and 211,428 for AA. The analysis suggests that certain gut bacteria, such as Butyricimonas, Enterorhabdus, Eubacterium (xylanophilum group), and Phascolarctobacterium, may have a protective effect against AA, while Ruminococcaceae UCG003 may increase the risk. Reverse analysis showed no significant causal effect of AA on gut microbiota. The findings highlight the potential role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis and treatment of AA.