Association Between Serum Trace Elements Level and Alopecia Areata: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This consensus statement outlines a treatment algorithm for alopecia areata, detailing systemic treatment indications and options, including EMA-approved medications baricitinib and ritlecitinib for severe cases, as well as other off-label treatments and adjuvant therapies like oral minoxidil.

This study found that patients with severe alopecia areata had significantly lower serum zinc levels compared to healthy controls, and a negative correlation between zinc levels and disease severity was observed, suggesting that zinc assessment and supplementation trials may be warranted in this population.

This study found that patients with alopecia areata who have low vitamin D levels and high CRP levels are more likely to develop the universalis form of the condition, indicating a need for more aggressive treatment in these cases.

This study reported that alopecia areata imposes a significant personal and national economic burden in Japan, with estimated total costs of 112.7 billion yen due largely to productivity loss.

In this study, researchers evaluated an oral supplement containing arginine, l-cystine, zinc, and vitamin B6, finding it effective as an adjuvant treatment for telogen effluvium, as indicated by improved hair quantity and diameter after three months in 18 patients.

This review discusses how environmental factors like lifestyle, nutrition, and vitamin deficiencies may influence autoimmune diseases such as MS, SLE, and AA, highlighting associations with vitamin D levels and dietary interventions, but notes a lack of conclusive evidence for their roles in disease pathogenesis.

This study found that vitamin D levels were lower in alopecia areata patients, with trichoscopic features like broken hairs and black dots more prevalent in cases with vitamin D deficiency.

This study found that a bioprinted hydrogel scaffold with zinc and silicon ions significantly activated hair follicle stem cells and enhanced blood vessel formation, promoting hair growth in mouse wound models.

In this study, researchers developed a nanocomposite microneedle patch containing copper/zinc dual-doped silica nanoparticles, which release substances to promote hair follicle regeneration by targeting various pathophysiological aspects of androgenic alopecia, presenting an effective anti-hair loss treatment strategy.

This review found a predominance of low serum zinc levels across various skin disorders, indicating possible value in further investigating zinc supplementation as an adjunctive therapy.

In this randomized controlled trial, intralesional vitamin D3 injections significantly improved localized alopecia areata symptoms compared to a saline placebo, with minimal and transient side effects, suggesting vitamin D3 as an effective treatment option without needing prior serum vitamin D level measurement.

This study highlighted that toxic metals, particularly thallium, arsenic, selenium, and mercury, are commonly associated with cases of alopecia areata.

In this study, significantly lower serum vitamin D levels were observed in patients with alopecia areata compared to healthy controls, with an inverse correlation between vitamin D levels and disease severity or duration.

This study found that Iranian patients with alopecia areata had significantly lower zinc and vitamin D levels than healthy controls, indicating these nutrients' potential role in disease management.

This study found that alopecia areata is linked with a higher prevalence of systemic and psychiatric diseases, suggesting that physicians should monitor for these potential comorbidities.

This meta-analysis suggests that patients with alopecia areata have lower serum levels of zinc and selenium compared to healthy controls, which may be important risk factors for the condition.

This study found no significant difference in serum and hair levels of iron, zinc, and copper between female alopecia areata patients and healthy controls.

This study observed that patients with various types of hair loss had significantly lower serum zinc levels compared to healthy controls, suggesting zinc disturbance may play a role in the condition.

This review discusses the regulation and function of vitamin D and its receptor in skin cells, highlighting their roles in processes such as proliferation inhibition, differentiation, and innate immunity, but reports no new results.

This study found that women with androgenetic alopecia or alopecia areata have significantly lower serum ferritin levels than those without hair loss, suggesting a potential link between these types of alopecia and decreased iron stores.

This study found no differences in trace element concentrations between Finnish alopecia patients and the normal population, but noted significant serum copper variation among different alopecia subtypes.