Evaluation of Serum Level of Human Beta Defensin 1 in Patients With Alopecia Areata

The study "Evaluation of serum Level of Human Beta Defensin 1 patients With Alopecia Areata" conducted by A.A. Ebrahim, A.I. Mustafa, and W.A. Abd-Halim from the Dermatology Venereology and Andrology Dept., Faculty of Medicine, Benha Univ., Benha, Egypt, aimed to understand the role of human beta defensin 1 (HBD-1) in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disease causing non-scarring hair loss. The prospective case-control study involved 40 patients with AA and 40 age and sex-matched healthy subjects. The results showed no significant difference in serum levels of HBD-1 between the AA group and the control group (p=0.03). The study concluded that HBD-1 concentration is not a predictor of AA susceptibility and severity.