Evaluating the Serum Zinc and Vitamin D Levels in Alopecia Areata

In a study conducted on an Iranian population, 77 patients with alopecia areata (AA) and 112 age- and sex-matched control subjects were evaluated for serum zinc and vitamin D levels. The results showed that AA patients had significantly lower levels of zinc (87.78±20.61 vs. 92.76±28.00, p=0.008) and vitamin D (20.23±11.11 vs. 25.63±15.90, p=0.01) compared to the control group. Additionally, a higher percentage of vitamin D deficiency was observed in AA patients (19.5% vs. 10.7%, p=0.03). A significant inverse correlation was found between the duration of AA and zinc levels (r=0.483, p<0.001), but no significant relationship was observed with vitamin D levels (r=0.022, p=0.84). The study concluded that zinc and vitamin D deficiencies are prevalent in AA patients and may play important roles in the disease's pathogenesis, suggesting their potential as supplements in AA treatment.