Serum Vitamin D Level in Pediatric Alopecia Areata

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common, autoimmune, nonscarring hair loss which displays a wide clinical spectrum from localized to generalized variants. It may have a long, relapsing, and unpredictable course. Vitamin D receptors are expressed in the hair follicles. Vitamin D functions as a modulator of immune functions of T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes. Deficiency of Vitamin D may be associated with increased risk of AA in children. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to compare serum Vitamin D levels in pediatric AA with age- and sex-matched controls and to correlate it with severity, duration, pattern of AA, and nail changes. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based case–control study of 40 cases of AA aged <18 years along with 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All subjects underwent complete evaluation and laboratory investigations including serum Vitamin D. Results: The mean serum Vitamin D was 39.98 ± 18.06 (nmol/L) in cases and 32.26 ± 12.22 (nmol/L) in controls. There was no statistically significant difference ( P = 0.080) in Vitamin D levels between the cases and controls. No statistically significant correlation was found between Vitamin D levels and severity, duration of AA, pattern of AA, and nail changes. Conclusion: Role of Vitamin D in AA could not be substantiated in our study. There was no correlation between duration, severity, AA pattern, nail changes, and Vitamin D level. Small sample size was a limitation. Further studies with bigger sample size are needed as the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency is high in India.