Immunopathogenesis of alopecia areata

Jadesola Jadé Temitope Olayinka; Jillian M Richmond

doi:10.1016/j.crimmu.2021.02.001

Immunopathogenesis of alopecia areata

Curr Res Immunol. 2021 Feb 6:2:7-11. doi: 10.1016/j.crimmu.2021.02.001. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Jadesola Jadé Temitope Olayinka^{1

2}, Jillian M Richmond²

Affiliations

¹ College of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
² Department of Dermatology, UMass Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.

Abstract

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disorder resulting in hair loss. It has numerous variants or patterns, including diffuse type, patchy type, AA totalis, AA universalis, and more. In this graphical review, we provide an overview of AA immunopathogenesis, highlighting loss of immune privilege in the hair follicle as well as key immune cell types, cytokines and chemokines that drive autoimmune attack of the hair follicle. We also summarize recent literature identifying agents that block these pathways that could serve as new immunomodulatory treatments for AA.

Keywords: Alopecia; Alopecia areata; Autoimmune; Hair loss; Immunopathogenesis.

Publication types

Review