Serum level of calprotectin as a new inflammatory marker in patients with alopacia areata.

Alopecia areata (AA) is an inflammatory and autoimmune, non-scarring condition. The exact mechanism that induces loss of immune privilege is unknown. Serum calprotectin (CLP) levels are a strong predictive factor and a unique inflammatory marker in several autoimmune disorders. This study aimed to evaluate CLP levels in alopecia areata patients and correlate them with various clinical characteristics of the disease, particularly severity, to identify any potential associations. The present study included 30 AA patients and 30 age and gender-matched volunteers as controls. Severity of AA was determined according to the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score. Serum CLP levels were measured in all participants by the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. The CLP serum levels were significantly higher in AA patients than in controls (p < 0.0001). A significant association was observed between CLP serum levels and age of patients, SALT score, and duration of disease (p=0.048, p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Additionally, a significant association was present between CLP levels and type, severity of AA, and nail affection (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001 and p=0.003, respectively). In conclusion, the present results demonstrated that AA was linked to systemic inflammation, and CLP could be a beneficial indicator of inflammation in AA patients.