Serum Th1, Th2, Th17 and innate immune system biomarkers are elevated in pediatric alopecia areata with and without concurrent atopic dermatitis: A cross-sectional study
Description
Alopecia areata (AA) is a non-scarring alopecia with an autoimmune etiology, where aberrant T-lymphocyte mediated immune responses are implicated in its pathogenesis. Several robust studies have reported elevated Th1 (IFN-γ, CXCL9/10/11, IL-2RA, IL-12), Th2 (IL-10/13, CCL7/11/13/17/22/23, CCR4), Th17 (CCL20, PI3, S100A12) and innate (IL-6/8) immune biomarkers. Differences in biomarker profiles have been observed in AA patients with concomitant atopy. IL-13 was only elevated in atopic AA, while IFN-γ was only elevated in nonatopic AA, suggesting heterogeneity among AA patients. However, studies have yet to report biomarker profiles in pediatric AA patients. With increasing prevalence of AA in pediatric patients, a cross-sectional pilot study was conducted to investigate the biomarker profiles of pediatric patients with AA alone and AA with concomitant atopic dermatitis (AD).