Serological Screening for Coeliac Disease in Vitiligo and Alopecia Areata
TLDR Vitiligo is not linked to coeliac disease, but a small number of alopecia areata patients may have it, suggesting they should be tested for coeliac disease.
In a 1997 study, 198 patients with vitiligo and 232 patients with alopecia areata were tested for coeliac disease markers, antigliadin (AGA) and antiendomysial antibodies (EmA). None of the vitiligo patients had positive results for IgA antibodies, indicating no correlation between vitiligo and coeliac disease. However, 2 alopecia areata patients (1%) tested positive for IgA HUC-EmA and IgA IFL-AGA, and subsequent duodenal biopsies confirmed coeliac disease. One of these patients experienced hair regrowth after starting a gluten-free diet. The study concluded that while vitiligo is not associated with coeliac disease, there is a higher prevalence of coeliac disease in patients with alopecia areata, suggesting that routine screening for gluten-sensitive enteropathy should be considered for these patients.
