The influence of osteopontin on the pathogenesis of alopecia areata and its association with disease severity

Background: alopecia areata (aa) is an autoimmune diseaseaffecting hair follicles. although many details are well specifiedin the pathogenesis of the disease, there exist certain aspectswhich require more investigations. given the fact that the increasein th-1 immunity is the essential part of the pathogenesis, theincrimination of osteopontin, as a th-1 cytokine, is consideredappropriate in the pathogenesis of the disease. the aim of thepresent research was to evaluate the role of osteopontin in alopeciaareata and its correlation with disease pattern and severity.methods: this case-control study consisted of 45 patients withalopecia areata and 45 healthy individuals. the level of osteopontinwas measured through blood sampling and elisa method.results: the mean plasma level of osteopontin was significantlylower in patients with alopecia areata than controls (p<0.05)conclusions: the plasma level of osteopontin in patients withalopecia areata is lower than healthy controls. moreover, there isno significant relationship between the plasma level of osteopontinand disease severity. the clinical manifestations of alopecia areatamight be a sign of the altered protective effects of osteopontin.needless to say, more investigation is required to clarify thecorrelation between alopecia areata and osteopontin.