Katarzyna Tabara, Magdalena Koztowska, Anna Jedrowiak, Wojciech Bienias, Andrezej Kaszuba (2019) Serum concentrations of selected proinflammatory cytokines in children with alopecia areata. Advances Dermatol. Allergol. V1: 63-69.
Alopecia areata (AA) is a common autoimmune disease that causes patchy hair loss on the scalp, face, and sometimes other body areas. Researchers investigated the potential role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in AA development in children. They measured serum levels of IL-6, IL-15, IL-17A, and IFN-γ in 42 children with AA (13 males and 29 females, all under 18 years old). A control group consisted of 37 healthy children.
Key Highlight:
Serum levels of IL-6, IL-15, IL-17A, and IFN-γ were significantly elevated in children with AA compared to controls (Figure 1).