Abstract
Alopecia areata (AA) is autoimmune, nonscaring, multifocal disorder of hair growth characterized by circular bald areas which occur on any hair bearing site of the body. The exact cause of AA remain unknown, but the most widely accepted hypothesis suggests a T-cell mediated autoimmune activation and subsequent oxidative stress and shortage of cellular antioxidant defense to most likely occur in genetically predisposed individuals. Our previous study showed a significant contribution of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of AA and the beneficial role of nutrient antioxidant in the modulation of the clinical picture of the disease. In this context, the present study was conducted to correlate between the duration of the attack of AA and their response rate to antioxidant vitamins. In this study, ,thirty patients with AA, with a duration of disease ranged from 20 days-18years were allocated into 3 group according to the duration of attack: group 1 (less than one year), group 2 (1-2year), and group 3 (more than 2 year).All groups received treatment schedule including a combination of antioxidants [vitamin A tablet (5000 I.U/day), vitamin E tablet (100mg/day) and vitamin C tablet (500mg/day)] continued for two months. Heparinized venous blood samples were collected from patient before treatment and at one and two months after treatment. Fresh blood sample were used for malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) measurement in lymphocytes and erythrocytes. The susceptibility of lymphocytes and erythrocytes to oxidative stress was measured by in-vitro challenge with 7.5% H2O2. The result of this study revealed that there is no significant difference in the response rate between the study groups to antioxidant treatment, so the use of antioxidant by patients with AA improve rate of hair growth regardless the duration of attack.
