Investigation of Oxidative Stress in Patients with Alopecia Areata and Its Relationship with Disease Severity, Duration, Recurrence, and Pattern

The study investigated oxidative stress in 62 patients with alopecia areata (AA) compared to 62 healthy controls. It found that patients with AA had significantly reduced erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, and increased but statistically insignificant plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. No significant differences were observed in erythrocyte catalase (CAT) activities or in oxidative stress markers concerning AA severity, duration, recurrence, or pattern. These results suggested a potential role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of AA.