Response to Weinstein's 'Increased Risk of Vitamin D Deficiency in Black Patients with Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia'

In a response to Weinstein's letter, the authors defended their retrospective study of 54 Black patients with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), where they found a significant relationship between vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and vitamin D insufficiency. They clarified that the subjects in their study did not have risk factors for VDD, such as chronic kidney disease, malabsorption, or osteoporosis. They also highlighted that Black and Hispanic people are at a high risk of developing VDD, which motivated their comparison of vitamin D levels in their patient population with the general Black population. They acknowledged the need for more research on nutritional deficiencies related to dermatologic diseases, especially in populations with hair loss and conditions affecting Black patients. They also noted that their study used a reference prevalence of 69.73% for VDD and vitamin D insufficiency among the Black population, cited from a study by Liu et al. involving over 26,000 individuals. Despite limitations, they hope their report encourages further research on the role of vitamin D in CCCA and other scarring alopecias.