Organ Specificity in Autoimmune Diseases: Thyroid and Islet Autoimmunity in Alopecia Areata
March 2015
in “
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
”
New to Alopecia Areata? There is a guide in the encyclopedia. Read the guide → 
Studysummary In this study, alopecia areata was associated with thyroid autoimmunity but not islet autoimmunity, correlating with specific class II HLA haplotypes linked to various autoimmune diseases.
Our plain-language summary. Not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing treatment. Full disclaimer
The study investigated the association of alopecia areata (AA) with thyroid and islet autoimmunity in 126 patients. It found that autoimmune thyroid disease was the most frequent autoimmune condition associated with AA (10.0%), while type 1 diabetes was not observed. Patients with AA had significantly higher prevalence of thyroid-related autoantibodies compared to controls, but similar prevalence of islet-related autoantibodies. The study also identified specific HLA haplotypes that were either protective or susceptible to these autoimmune diseases, indicating that AA was associated with thyroid autoimmunity but not islet autoimmunity, and this association was influenced by class II HLA haplotypes.
