19^th European Dermatology Congress

Biography

Biography: Maya Vincent

Abstract

It is a well-established fact that endocrine disorders such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and parathyroid disorders can cause hair loss. In thyroid dysfunction, other than scalp hair, hair on other parts of the body may also be affected, such as eyebrows and body hair. Diffuse hair loss is sometimes the presenting symptom of hypothyroidism. It is well-known that thyroid hormone is essential for the development and maintenance of the hair follicle. Trichograms from the parietal and occipital areas in a study showed increased dysplastic and broken hairs strengthening the view that alopecia in thyroid disease is not caused by changes within hair cycle, but probably by impaired hair quality. Although, there are many studies relating to thyroid and hair loss they are all based on a univariate analysis. Here, we have attempted to study multiple variables of alopecia with relation to thyroid disorder. All patients who attended the clinic from December 2007 to December2009 (25 months) with the complaints of hair loss of any part of the body were seen and classified into diffuse alopecia, alopecia areata, androgenetic alopecia, cicatricial alopecia, alopecia totalis, alopecia universalis, madarosis, diminished facial hair (moustache and beard), and diminished body hair based on clinical diagnosis. They were again categorized sex wise and age wise and the relationship of each group to thyroid disorder was studied. Any associated clinical condition with each type of alopecia was noted and again their relation to thyroid dysfunction was recorded. All patients were tested for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and auto antibodies to thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb) by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay, a third generation assay with a sensitivity of 0.001 mIU/L. The reference range of test values for TSH are as follows: Euthyroid: 0.4-4, hyperthyroidism: <0.1, subclinical hypothyroidism: 4-20, hypothyroidism: >20. TPOAb values below 60 U/ML were considered normal. Definitions used were: Euthyroid: Normal values of TSH and TPOAb, hypothyroid: Patients with an increased TSH and TPOAb and those with raised TSH but normal TPOAb, hyperthyroid: Patients with subnormal TSH values and normal TPOAb and those with subnormal TSH and raised TPOAb, subclinical: Patients with normal TSH but raised TPOAb. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 16.0 (IBM Inc, USA).