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Subject Area

Internal Medicine

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objectives To assess the value of elevated serum prolactin levels as a diagnostic marker in alopecia areata (AA). Background AA is characterized by areas of nonscarring hair loss that ranges from a single oval patch to multiple patches. Immunological, environmental, psychological, and genetic factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of AA. Prolactin is a polypeptide hormone secreted from the anterior pituitary gland that has a variety of physiological actions including growth promoting activity and exerts a proliferative effect on human keratinocytes. Prolactin may therefore play an important role in the pathogenesis of AA, through its immunomodulatory function. Several studies have shown that prolactin and AA are positively correlated. Patients and methods This case–control study was conducted on 50 patients: 25 AA patients and 25 age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls during the period from November 2017 to March 2018. All patients were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination, and laboratory investigations. Serum prolactin levels were measured by chemiluminescence through an immunoassay-automated access 2 Beckman coulter. Results Serum prolactin levels were significantly elevated in AA patients (mean ± SD, 16.8 ± 2.3) compared with healthy controls (mean ± SD, 9.7 ± 3.00). There was significant positive correlation between serum prolactin level and size of the AA lesion (r = 0.661, P < 0.005). Conclusion Serum prolactin levels were higher in AA patients compared with healthy controls. The levels were correlated with clinical severity in patients with AA. Therefore, serum prolactin level can be used as a diagnostic biomarker for evaluating the clinical status of AA.

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