Effect of nutrient antioxidants on oxidative stress indicators in patients with alopecia areata

Abstract

People with alopecia areata lose their scalp hair in smooth round patches typically causing bald spots about an inch (2cm) across. Recently Al-Jaff et al demonstrate the association of free radicals in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata, and the role of nutrient antioxidants in protecting the immune system from the damaging effect of these radicals.Any imbalances between free radical production and antioxidant deficiency can result in an injury.
This clinical study designed to study the role of nutrient antioxidants in protecting the body from damaging effect of radicals and the effect of two month treatment with antioxidants (vitamin A, E, &C) on oxidative stress variable levels and their effect on rate of hair growth in patients with alopecia areata. Treatment with antioxidants significantly elevated body antioxidant defenses component levels, increased Zn levels and decreased Cu levels and corrected the inbalance in these trace metals metabolism in alopecia after 1and 2 months of treatment compared to pretreatment values. The most important point is
the clinical significance of antioxidants in improving the hair response of patients with alopecia areata; this may be due to an inhibition of oxidative stress associated with the state of the disease.