Features of skinfold thickness in Ukrainian men with alopecia areata

Abstract

Alopecia areata is believed to be an isolated dermatological disease and also a potential marker of systematic diseases, particularly changes in body fat distribution as well as metabolic risk. An analysis of the thickness of skin-fat folds in men with alopecia areata in Ukraine makes it possible to expand our understanding of pathogenetic mechanisms of this disease and to approach more deeply its early diagnosis, and individual therapy. The aim of the study was to determine the features of skinfold thickness (SFT) in young adult Ukrainian men with alopecia areata. A clinical and instrumental examination (using an ARAMO ASW 300 dermatoscope-trichoscope) and an anthropological assessment (measurement of SFT in accordance with the recommendations of P. P. Shaparenko) were performed in 81 young adult Ukrainian men with alopecia areata. The severity of alopecia areata was determined according to I. V. Shutskiy. As a control group, we used SFT indicators of 82 apparently healthy Ukrainian men of the same age group from the database of the Research Center of Vinnytsia National Pirogov Memorial Medical University. Statistical processing of the results was carried out using the licensed software package Statistica 6.0, applying nonparametric evaluation methods. Significantly higher values of SFT were found in Ukrainian men with alopecia areata overall and at different degrees of severity, compared with practically healthy men, on the posterior (by 13.42-22.11 %), anterior surface of the arm (by 47.16-66.90 %), forearm (by 35.56-47.78 %), chest (by 70.59-87.86 %), and flank (by 21.77-31.63 %), and significantly lower SFT values on the thigh (by 15.73-20.98 %) and under the inferior angle of the scapula (by 36.13-47.59 %). Between groups of Ukrainian men with alopecia areata of different severity, only significantly lower SFT values on the posterior (by 9.31 % and 14.08 %) and anterior (by 9.73 % and 13.42 %) surfaces of the arm in patients with grade I severity compared with patients with grades II and III were established. The identified oppositely directed changes in SFT on the upper limb and thigh, as well as under the inferior angle of the scapula versus on the chest and flank in Ukrainian men with alopecia areata overall and at different degrees of severity, are manifestations of a “subpathological” constitutional type in this disease.