Potential genetic link ID’d between thyroid disease, alopecia areata

There seems to be a significant association between hypothyroidism, Hashimoto thyroiditis, subacute thyroiditis, and alopecia areata (AA), according to a study published in the October issue of Skin Research & Technology.

Yue Zhao, from Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College in China, and colleagues examined the potential causal relationship between AA and thyroid disease in a two-sample Mendelian randomization study. Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, subacute thyroiditis, and Graves disease were selected as exposure factors and AA was the outcome variable; data were obtained from genome-wide association studies.

The researchers identified statistically significant genetic predictions of AA for hypothyroidism, Hashimoto thyroiditis, and subacute thyroiditis (inverse variance weighted odds ratios, 1.40, 1.39, and 0.73, respectively). No evidence was seen for pleiotropy. The stability and robustness of the association was demonstrated using the leave-one-out test.

“Our findings indicate a significant association between hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, subacute thyroiditis, and AA, suggesting a new perspective on the complex interplay between endocrine health and skin pathology,” the authors write. “These discoveries not only provide new evidence for the relationship between thyroid disease and the pathogenesis of AA but also offer new directions for future research, especially in exploring potential treatments for AA.”

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