Role Of Zinc Therapy In Cases Of Alopecia Areata

Background: It has been reported that some alopecia areata patients have zinc deficiency. There have also been several reports published concerning oral zinc sulfate therapy, with encouraging results, in some alopecia areata patients.Objective: The aim of this work is to evaluate the role of oral zinc therapy in treatment of alopecia areata patients who have low serum zinc level and this may determine the possible role of zinc deficiency in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata.Patients and Methods: This study included 40 alopecia areata patients, and 20 age and sex matched apparently healthy indivuiduals as controls. After zinc levels were checked, 15 AA patients who each had a low serum zinc level were enrolled in this study. Supplementation with oral zinc sulfate (Octozinc capsule, 110 mg zinc sulfate equivalent to 25 mg elemental zinc) twice daily for 12 weeks for patients with low serum zinc level.Results: Alopecia areata patients had mean serum Zn level of (11.3 ± 3.4) Umol/l while controls had mean level of (14.5±2.0) Umol/l and this difference in mean of serum zinc levels was found to be significant (P<0.001). After the therapy, the serum zinc levels increased significantly from (7.5± 1.48) umol/l to (12.36± 3.1) umol/l, and the level increased by (4.86) umol/l. Positive therapeutic effects were observed for 10 out of 15 patients (66.7%) although this was not statistically significant. The serum zinc levels of the positive response group increased more than those of the negative response group (P<0.001).Conclusion: Zinc supplementation can become a possible adjuvant therapy especially for those AA patients with low serum zinc level and for whom the traditional therapeutic methods have been unsuccessful..