Alopecia Areata and malignancies: uncertainties clarified by a large-scale population-based study

Khalaf Kridin, Rimma Laufer-Britva, Francisco Jimenez, Arnon D. Cohen, Baruch Kaplan, Anna Lyakhovitsky

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The association of AA with malignancies has been a scope of controversy as the current literature is highly inconsistent in this regard. To evaluate the association between AA and hematological malignancies (HMs) and solid malignancies (SMs) using a large-scale, real-life computerized database. A cross-sectional study was conducted to compare the prevalence of HMs and SMs among patients with AA relative to age-, sex-, and ethnicity-matched control subjects. Chi-square and t-tests were used for univariate analysis, and a logistic regression model was used for multivariate analysis. The study included 51,561 patients with AA and 51,410 controls. AA was significantly associated with HMs (adjusted OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07–1.51; P = 0.006). This association was more robust among patients with late-onset AA (≥ 50 years; OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.04–1.71; P = 0.025). On the other hand, AA was not found to be significantly associated with SM (adjusted OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.88–1.06; P = 0.487), excluding among patients with alopecia totalis and universalis (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.03–4.27; P = 0.036). In a granular analysis including 5 HMs and 18 SMs, non-Hodgkin lymphoma was the only malignancy that proved positively associated with AA (adjusted OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.03–1.69; P = 0.028). AA is associated with HMs but not SMs. Further research is warranted to validate our observations in other study cohorts.

Original languageEnglish
Article number678
JournalArchives of Dermatological Research
Volume316
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 14 Oct 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

Keywords

  • Alopecia areata
  • Cross-sectional study
  • Epidemiology
  • Malignancies

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