The Vascular and Metabolic Face of Alopecia Areata: Insights from an Indian Cohort

A study involving 110 Indian patients with alopecia areata (AA) and 110 healthy controls found that AA patients exhibit significant coagulation abnormalities, metabolic dysregulation, and systemic inflammation, which correlate with disease severity. Elevated levels of D-dimer, fibrinogen, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, and inflammatory markers (CRP and ESR) were observed in AA patients. A strong positive correlation was found between disease severity and D-dimer levels. Multivariate regression identified D-dimer, fibrinogen, CRP, and BMI as independent predictors of severe AA. The study suggests that AA may have systemic implications beyond being a localized dermatological disorder, though causality cannot be established due to the study's cross-sectional design. Further research is needed to explore targeted therapies.