9 citations,
December 2012 in “The Journal of Dermatology” Wearing wigs or hairpieces improves self-esteem, adaptability, and competence in women with alopecia areata.
75 citations,
October 2012 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Alopecia areata can be triggered by specific immune cells without genetic or environmental factors.
28 citations,
May 2012 in “Experimental Dermatology” 421 citations,
April 2012 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition causing hair loss with no cure and treatments that often don't work well.
717 citations,
June 2010 in “Nature” A genome-wide association study conducted on 1,054 cases and 3,278 controls identified several susceptibility loci for alopecia areata, suggesting the involvement of both innate and adaptive immunity in the disease. The study highlighted significant associations with genes related to regulatory T cells, CTLA4, IL-2/IL-21, IL-2RA, and the HLA region, as well as genes expressed in the hair follicle like PRDX5 and STX17. Notably, the ULBP gene cluster on chromosome 6q25.1, encoding ligands for the natural killer cell receptor NKG2D, was implicated for the first time in autoimmune disease, with ULBP3 expression upregulated in the hair follicle during active disease. This research provided insights into the genetic basis of alopecia areata and suggested a novel mechanism involving ULBP ligand upregulation in autoimmunity.
69 citations,
May 2009 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Stress might contribute to hair loss in alopecia areata.
253 citations,
December 2007 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” The study explored how hair follicles (HFs) maintain immune privilege (IP) to avoid natural killer (NK) cell attacks, which typically target cells with low MHC class I expression. It was found that HFs actively suppress NK cells, with the HF epithelium expressing the NK cell inhibitor macrophage migration inhibitory factor. In healthy individuals, fewer NK function-activating receptors and more inhibitory receptors were present compared to those with alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disease linked to a breakdown of HF-IP. AA patients showed increased NK cell activity around hair follicles, suggesting a defect in NK cell inhibition that contributes to the disease's pathogenesis. This defect was previously unreported and highlighted the need for considering NK cell activity in AA management.
375 citations,
July 2006 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Stress can worsen skin and hair conditions by affecting the skin's immune response and hormone levels.
131 citations,
November 1998 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” Skin grafts on mice can cause an immune response leading to hair loss, useful for studying human hair loss conditions.
178 citations,
June 1994 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Alopecia areata in these mice is inherited, more common in young females, and can be treated with triamcinolone acetonide.