Evaluation of Vitamin D in Pediatric Alopecia Areata: A Case-Control Study of Thirty Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

In 2019, a case-control study was conducted on 30 pediatric patients with alopecia areata and 30 healthy controls. The study found that the mean serum Vitamin D level in the alopecia areata cases was significantly lower than that of the controls (17.21 ± 6.57 ng/ml vs. 25.03 ± 13.84 ng/ml; P < 0.05). Additionally, 73% of the alopecia areata patients had Vitamin D deficiency compared to 46% in the control group. There was a significant inverse correlation between the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) scores and serum Vitamin D levels in the alopecia areata patients (r = -0.379; P < 0.05). This suggested that Vitamin D deficiency may be involved in the development of alopecia areata and could be a useful marker for disease severity. Further studies were recommended to assess the potential benefits of Vitamin D supplementation in treating pediatric alopecia areata.