Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28508256›Full record

ReviewAmerican journal of clinical dermatology2017

The Role of Micronutrients in Alopecia Areata: A Review.

Jordan M Thompson, Mehwish A Mirza, Min Kyung Park, Abrar A Qureshi, Eunyoung Cho

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in American journal of clinical dermatology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
53citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
9.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

53 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 117 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Cutaneous and Gut Dysbiosis in Alopecia Areata: A Review.JID innovations : skin science from molecules to population health · 2025
    Review
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Case Series and Literature Review on Tofacitinib for Treating Severe Alopecia Areata.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2025
    Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Jordan M ThompsonWarren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
Mehwish A MirzaFrank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, North Haven, CT, 06473, USA.
Min Kyung ParkDepartment of Dermatology, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 339 Eddy Street, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
Abrar A QureshiDepartment of Dermatology, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 339 Eddy Street, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
Eunyoung ChoDepartment of Dermatology, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 339 Eddy Street, Providence, RI, 02903, USA. eunyoung_cho@brown.edu.
Brown University · USQuinnipiac University · US

Funding

Psoralens and melanomaR21CA198216 · NCI · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI CHO, EUNYOUNG · 2015 to 2016
$432k
NCI NIH HHS R21 CA198216
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Alopecia areata (AA) is a common, non-scarring form of hair loss caused by immune-mediated attack of the hair follicle. As with other immune-mediated diseases, a complex interplay between environment and genetics is thought to lead to the development of AA. Deficiency of micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals may represent a modifiable risk factor associated with development of AA. Given the role of these micronutrients in normal hair follicle development and in immune cell function, a growing number of investigations have sought to determine whether serum levels of these nutrients might differ in AA patients, and whether supplementation of these nutrients might represent a therapeutic option for AA. While current treatment often relies on invasive steroid injections or immunomodulating agents with potentially harmful side effects, therapy by micronutrient supplementation, whether as a primary modality or as adjunctive treatment, could offer a promising low-risk alternative. However, our review highlights a need for further research in this area, given that the current body of literature largely consists of small case-control studies and case reports, which preclude any definite conclusions for a role of micronutrients in AA. In this comprehensive review of the current literature, we found that serum vitamin D, zinc, and folate levels tend to be lower in patients with AA as compared to controls. Evidence is conflicting or insufficient to suggest differences in levels of iron, vitamin B

Indexed as

Dietary SupplementsAlopecia AreataHair FollicleHumansMicronutrientsMicronutrientsAlopecia AreataCalcipotriolHair LossSerum Zinc LevelSquaric Acid

Identifiers

PMID28508256
PMCPMC5685931
OpenAlexW2614432125

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.