Investigation of oxidative stress in patients with alopecia areata and its relationship with disease severity, duration, recurrence and pattern

Summary Background Alopecia areata (AA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease that causes hair loss on the scalp or trunk without scarring. Although the precise aetiopathogenesis of alopecia areata remains unknown, oxidative stress is thought to play a role. Aim To investigate the relationship between severity and the role of oxidative stress in AA, by measuring plasma oxidant levels and antioxidant enzyme activities in erythrocytes. Methods In total, 62 patients with AA (24 males and 38 females), and 62 sex‐ and age‐matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the study. We investigated the levels of plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of erythrocyte catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px). The relationship between oxidative stress and AA was also investigated with regard to disease pattern, severity, duration and recurrence. Results The mean erythrocyte GSH‐Px and SOD activities were significantly reduced (P