Mitochondrial DNA copy number as a diagnostic marker and indicator of degree of severity in alopecia areata

ABSTRACT

Alopecia areata (AA) is a disorder with several etiologies. The evidence suggests that the absolute copy number of mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA), as well as proportion of mutated mtDNA copies, determines disease onset. This study aims to quantify the relative index of the mtDNA copy number in patients with AA and healthy controls and correlate the results with the existing clinical ‎information. This case-control study included 50 patients with AA and 50 age- and sex-coordinated healthy persons as controls. The severity of AA was weighed using the Severity of Alopecia Tool and Kavak’s classification. The relative index of the mtDNA copy number was measured by real-time qPCR. Significant statistical difference was observed between cases and controls regarding mean mtDNA copy number, p < .001. There was significant positive correlation with SALT score (p =  0.001). A cutoff value of >1.619 N/µL could significantly diagnose AA cases (p < .001), and a cutoff value of > 1.36 N/µL could discriminate mild AA cases from those with moderate AA (p =  0.007). The relative index of mtDNA copy number is significantly elevated in AA cases and could be helpful in diagnosing and evaluating AA severity.

KEYWORDS:

• Alopecia areata
• DNA
• mtDNA copy number

Acknowledgments

The study was approved by Local Ethical Research Committee in Menoufia Faculty of Medicine with an IRB approval number and date: 11/2020DERM.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.