RESEARCH - New study implicates autoimmune mechanisms in alopecia areata

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New Study Implicates Autoimmune Mechanisms in Alopecia Areata

Medscape.com

Jacquelyn K. Beals, PhD

July 2, 2010 — Alopecia areata (AA), a hair-loss disease often

considered similar to psoriasis because of the inflammation and T-cell

involvement, shares many genetic associations with a broad spectrum of

autoimmune diseases, according to a study appearing in the July 1

issue of Nature.

Hair loss in AA results from " collapse of immune privilege " in hair

follicles, such that a person's own immune system attacks and destroys

cells of their hair follicles. Interestingly, AA attacks pigmented

hairs more actively than nonpigmented hairs. Thus, selective loss of

pigmented hair, causing people to become " gray overnight, " could

actually result from acute AA onset during intense stress or grief.

The genome-wide association study (GWAS) involved international

researchers, led by a group at Columbia University Medical Center, New

York City. Genotypic analysis of 1054 patients with AA and 3278

control individuals found more than 100 single nucleotide

polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with AA at a GWAS-significant level (P

≤ 5 × 10−7). The majority of these SNPs were concentrated in 8

regions, most containing 1 or 2 genes with recognized immune function.

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Read the full article here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/724565

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