Serum Level of Interleukin 17 in Alopecia Areata Patients and Its Relation with the Severity of the Disease: a Case Control Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Alopecia Areata (AA) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases that’s characterized by hair loss on the scalp and/or body. It is an organ-specific autoimmune disease characterized by T-cell infiltrates and cytokine production. T-helper 17 (Th17) cells are crucially involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Objectives: Our aim was to compare the serum level of interleukin-17 (IL-17) between alopecia areata patients and healthy controls to demonstrate its proposed role in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata and to correlate it with the severity of the disease. Subjects and methods: The serum concentration of IL-17 was measured in 26 patients with AA and 26 healthy controls. The clinical type of AA was determined, and the severity of scalp hair loss was assessed in accordance with the Alopecia Areata Investigational Assessment Guideline criteria.