Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Muhammad Sarwar, Khursheed Hasan Alvi.
Assessment of hypothyroidism in diffuse nonscarring alopecia
J Pak Assoc Derma Jan - Mar 2006;16(1):20-3.
Baqai Medical University, Karachi

Background: Alopecia, clinically as well as etiologically, is a heterogeneous group. Several hormonal etiologies may cause alopecia including hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism etc. Thyroid diseases show a wide range of clinical signs in skin, hair and nails. Several reports document a significant correlation between thyroid diseases especially hypothyroidism with alopecia. Thyroid function test is one of the useful indices to assess the cause of alopecia. Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate the frequency of alopecia in hypothyroid cases by performing the thyroid function tests (T3, T4, TSH). Patients and methods: Twenty diagnosed patients of hypothyroidism were assessed for alopecia (according to the Hamilton and Norwood grading scale) and thyroid function tests. 20 healthy controls were recruited for comparison. Results: Out of 20 hypothyroid patients, 10 (50%) showed alopecia of variable grades. On laboratory investigations, significantly decreased levels of T3 and increased levels of TSH were noticed. Conclusions: Alopecia is quite frequent in hypothyroid patients. Similarly, thyroid profile is one of the useful diagnostic index for screening patients with alopecia.

Category: Dermatology
Keywords: Alopecia. Hypothyroidism. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. Thyroid Gland.

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