Alopecia Areata May Protect Against Stroke, Heart Attack

Alopecia Areata May Protect Against Stroke, Heart Attack

Unlike other inflammatory dermatologic conditions, alopecia areata does not appear to increase risk for cardiovascular disease, and it may even protect against stroke, new research suggests.

Researchers compared 1,377 alopecia areata patients to 4,131 control subjects. They found that patients with alopecia areata had a decreased risk for stroke, and there was a trend toward decreased risk of myocardial infarction, but this trend was not statistically significant.

The findings appear in the July 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

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