Thyroid Autoimmunity in Patients with Skin Disorders

The document reported on a study that found a significant association between thyroid autoimmunity and alopecia areata (AA). The study included 70 patients with AA and a control group of 70 healthy volunteers, with both groups having an average age of around 40 years. Thyroid functional abnormalities were present in 11.43% of AA patients compared to 1.43% in the control group. Additionally, elevated levels of thyroid autoantibodies were significantly more common in AA patients, with 23% showing elevated anti-thyroglobulin (anti-Tg) and 30% showing elevated anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies. The highest antibody concentrations were found in patients with alopecia universalis. The study used statistical tests such as Student's t-test, chi-square test, or Fisher's exact test to determine significance, with a P-value of <0.05 considered significant. The conclusion was that thyroid autoimmunity is strongly associated with AA, indicating the relevance of testing for thyroid autoantibodies in AA patients and the need for further research to understand the pathogenesis of both conditions.