Detection of Serum Levels of Interleukins-17, 21, 6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in Patients with Patchy Alopecia Areata and Their Association with Disease Severity

This study investigated the serum levels of cytokines IL-17A, IL-21, IL-6, and TNF-α in 50 patients with patchy alopecia areata (AA) compared to 50 healthy controls. Results showed that AA patients had significantly higher levels of these cytokines, which correlated with disease severity, age, and disease duration. The study suggests that these pro-inflammatory cytokines play a role in the pathogenesis of patchy AA and could be targets for therapeutic strategies.