Thyroid disease in alopecia areata, lichen planopilaris, and frontal fibrosing alopecia-a case control study of 144 patients

Abstract

Background: Hair loss can be a troublesome aspect of thyroid disease for some patients. In addition to diffuse hair thinning, thyroid disease has been associated with clinically significant forms of alopecia, including alopecia areata (AA) and telogen effluvium. The role of thyroid disease in other causes of alopecia, such as lichen planopilaris (LPP) and frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA), remains unclear. This study retrospectively assessed the role of thyroid dysfunction in AA, LPP and FFA. Methods: A systematic chart review of 144 patients was performed from September 2010 to July 2013. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression to test for a relationship between thyroid disease and type of alopecia. Results: A total of 113 alopecia patients were analyzed. A positive history of thyroid disease was found in 16.0% of AA, 25.0% of FFA, 17.1% of LPP, and 15.1% of control patients. After controlling for age and sex, alopecia was not found to be a statistically significant predictor of thyroid disease. Conclusions: Although alopecia patients in this study had rates of thyroid dysfunction higher than the U.S. population, there were no significant differences in rates of thyroid dysfunction compared to the control group.