Allergy to Dust mites: Does it have any link to alopecia areata?
By Dr Jeff Donovan
Li SF and colleagues. Allergy to dust mites may contribute to early onset and severity of alopecia areata. Clin Exp Dermatol 2014 Sep 23.
It’s well known that alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease. Although alopecia areata has a very strong genetic component, we know that “environmental” factors certainly do play an important role as well. But what are these environmental “triggers” for alopecia areata? Unfortunately, they remain poorly understood. I’m commonly asked if allergies to specific foods, medications, plants, pets and dust might have a role. Today, we’ll take a closer look at an interesting study examining the role of dust mite allergies for patients with alopecia areata.
Researchers from China set out to examine whether there was evidence from blood tests that individuals with alopecia areata had evidence of allergic responses to dust mites. 351 individuals with alopecia areata were compared to 110 individuals without alopecia areata. Overall there wasn’t much difference in allergic responses compared to individuals without alopecia areata. However, what the investigators did discover was that those with more severe types of AA were more likely to have evidence of allergic responses than those with less severe types of AA.
Comment:
So, is there a link between dust mite allergies and alopecia areata? The data from this study would seem to suggest that allergy to dust mites is probably not a “major” environmental trigger for those with AA. However, it remains uncertain as to whether dust mite allergies are truly a ‘minor’ trigger or whether it’s even a trigger at all. However, this study should be viewed as preliminary and certainly more studies are needed. But this study certainly opens the door now for additional good quality studies.
