Ann Dermatol Vol. 21, No.

2, 2009

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

The Therapeutic Effect and the Changed Serum Zinc

Level after Zinc Supplementation in Alopecia Areata
Patients Who Had a Low Serum Zinc Level
Hoon Park, M.D., Chul Woo Kim, M.D., Sang Seok Kim, M.D., Chun Wook Park, M.D.

Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Seoul, Korea

Background: It has been reported that some alopecia areata -Keywords-

patients have zinc deficiency. There have also been several Alopecia areata, Serum zinc level, Zinc supplementation
reports published concerning oral zinc sulfate therapy, with
encouraging results, in some alopecia areata patients.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the INTRODUCTION
therapeutic effects of oral zinc supplementation for twelve
weeks in alopecia areata patients who had a low serum zinc Oral zinc compounds have been used for decades for
level. Methods: Oral zinc gluconate (50 mg/T/day) supple- treating disorders such as telogen effluvium1,2 and alo-
mentation was given to alopecia areata patients without any pecia areata3,4. Reports have also been published on oral
other treatment for twelve weeks. The serum zinc level was zinc sulfate therapy with encouraging results for some
measured before and after zinc supplementation. A four- cases of alopecia areata. In 1976 Wolowa and Jablonska5
point scale of hair regrowth was used to evaluate the reported that two patients with alopecia areata regrew
therapeutic effect of oral zinc supplementation in these pa- their hair after treatment with oral zinc sulfate. It has been
tients. Results: Fifteen alopecia areata patients were en- reported that some alopecia areata patients have zinc
rolled in this study. After the therapy, the serum zinc levels deficiency6-8. Zinc is an essential cofactor for multiple
increased significantly from 56.9 μg/ to 84.5μg/dl. Positive enzymes and it is involved with important functional
therapeutic effects were observed for 9 out of 15 patients activities in the hair follicle. Further, zinc is a potent
(66.7%) although this was not statistically significant. The inhibitor of hair follicle regression and it accelerates hair
serum zinc levels of the positive response group increased follicle recovery6,7. In the present study, we examined the
more than those of the negative response group (p=0.003). serum levels of zinc in alopecia areata patients. We
Conclusion: Zinc supplementation needs to be given to the studied the therapeutic effect of 12 weeks oral zinc
alopecia areata patients who have a low serum zinc level. supplementation for treating alopecia areata patients who
We suggest that zinc supplementation could become an have a low serum zinc level and we checked their serum
adjuvant therapy for the alopecia areata patients with a low zinc level after this oral zinc supplementation.
serum zinc level and for whom the traditional therapeutic
methods have been unsuccessful. (Ann Dermatol 21(2) 142 MATERIALS AND METHODS
∼146, 2009) Patients
Forty four alopecia areata patients were checked for their
serum zinc levels. After the zinc levels were checked, 15
Received February 9, 2008, Accepted for publication October 20, alopecia areata patients who each had a low serum zinc
2008 level (Zn≤70 μg/dl) were enrolled in this study. Ten were
Reprint request to: Sang Seok Kim, M.D., Department of Dermatology, males and five were females (mean age: 29.1±16.2
Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, 445, Gil-dong, years). All of these patients had had alopecia areata for at
Gangdong-gu, Seoul 134-701, Korea. Tel: 82-2-2224-2286, Fax: least 6 months before visiting our clinic for treatment.
82-2-474-7913, E-mail: [email protected]
These patients had reported no effect from other

142 Ann Dermatol

 The Therapeutic Effect and the Changed Serum Zinc Level after Zinc Supplementation in Alopecia Areata Patients

therapeutic methods or they had had no treatment history tions. The Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.
for more than 6 months before visiting our clinic. The sera A p value≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.
obtained from the 15 alopecia areata patients were used
as test materials. RESULTS
Methods
All of the 15 subjects completed this study. They were
Supplementation with oral zinc gluconate tablet (50 mg/ enrolled from September 2006 to August 2007. The
tablet/day, zinc 50, GNC, USA) was used as a therapeutic patient information is shown in Table 1. After the zinc
method for twelve weeks without any other treatment. supplementation the mean serum zinc level changed from
Each patient’s serum zinc level was measured before and 56.9 μg/dl to 84.5 μg/dl. The results of the changed se-
after supplementation therapy. We defined a mild type of rum zinc levels are shown in Table 2, and the differences
alopecia areata as hair loss of less than 25% of the total of the zinc serum levels were statistically significant before
scalp hair, a moderate type of alopecia areata was defined and after supplementation therapy (p=0.002). Positive
as hair loss between 25% and 50% of the total scalp hair therapeutic effects were seen in 9 out of 15 patients
and a severe type of alopecia areata was defined as hair (66.7%). Out of the 9 patients with positive therapeutic
loss of more than 50% of total scalp hair. The therapeutic effects, 7 patients showed a marked recovery (Fig. 1) and
effects of oral zinc supplementation in alopecia areata 2 patients showed a partial recovery. However, the the-
patients were evaluated through the extent of vellus hair rapeutic effects were not statistically significant (p=0.439,
and terminal hair regrowth on the scalp. We graded the Table 3). After zinc supplementation, there was a
therapeutic effects as follows: difference of the serum zinc level between the positive
(1) Marked recovery: cosmetic satisfaction or terminal hair response group and the negative response group. The
regrowth of more than 60% on the hair loss patch serum zinc level of the positive response group increased
(2) Partial recovery: terminal hair regrowth less than 60% by 40.9 μg/dl and that of the negative response group
on the hair loss patch increased by 7.7 μg/dl. In the positive response group, the
(3) Poor recovery: only vellus hair regrowth on the hair serum zinc levels after therapy were significantly higher
loss patch than those before therapy (p=0.003). The changed serum
(4) No recovery: aggravation or an unchanged alopecia zinc levels are shown in Table 4. The patients with mild
areata state as compared to before therapy alopecia areata and who had a single alopecia areata
Of the 4 grades, we defined that the positive therapeutic patch displayed more positive results than the patients
effects were marked and partial recovery9,10. With main- who had multiple alopecia areata patches (Table 5). Two
taining zinc supplementation for at least 6 months, the patients complained of mild nausea as a side effect. The
positive response group was followed up for continuous summary of the patients is shown in Table 6.
terminal hair regrowth and recurrence of alopecia areata.

Statistical analysis Table 2. Serum zinc levels in the alopecia areata patients before
and after therapy
The results were expressed as means±standard devia-
M SD p-value
Before therapy 56.87 8.06
0.002
Table 1. Clinical data of the 15 patients with alopecia areata After therapy 84.47 28.28

Number of M: mean, SD: standard deviation

Factors
patients (%)
Gender
Male 10 (66.7) Table 3. Therapeutic effects
Female 5 (33.3)
Extent of the hair loss patch (% scalp area) Therapeutic Number of
χ2 p-value
＜25% 13 (86.7) effects patients (%)
25∼50% 2 (13.3) Positive (9 pts) MR 7 (46.7)
≥50% 0 PR 2 (13.3)
Single lesion 9 (60) 0.600 0.439
Negative (6 pts) PoR 2 (13.3)
Multiple lesions 6 (40) NR 4 (26.7)
Duration before therapy
＜1 year 2 (13.3) pts: patients, MR: marked recovery, PR: partial recovery, PoR:
≥1 year 13 (86.7) poor recovery, NR: no recovery

Vol. 21, No. 2, 2009 143

H Park, et al

Fig. 1. (A) Pre-treatment. Relatively well defined 3×5 cm-sized

and 4×6 cm-sized oval shaped hair loss patches (No.15). (B)
Post-treatment. We recognized terminal hair growth from the hair
loss patches. (C) The patient showed marked recovery after 12
weeks.

Table 4. Serum zinc levels before and after supplementation Table 6. Summary of the patients
therapy
Serum zinc Serum zinc
Gender Therapeutic
Before After No. level (before level (after
/Age effect
therapy therapy therapy) therapy)
p-value
M SD M SD 1 M/17 70 103 Yes (MR)
2 M/6 56 81 Yes (MR)
Positive 55.89 9.19 96.78 21.20 .003 3 M/7 56 164 Yes (MR)
response (9 pts) 4 F/42 57 53 No (NR)
Negative 58.33 6.53 66.00 16.88 .288 5 M/37 66 70 No (NR)
response (6 pts) 6 M/27 54 41 No (NR)
7 F/15 61 88 Yes (MR)
M: mean, SD: standard deviation, pts: patients
8 F/42 61 79 Yes (PR)
9 M/51 62 87 Yes (PR)
10 M/7 45 71 Yes (MR)
Table 5. Therapeutic effect by the extent and duration of alopecia
11 F/30 54 65 No (NR)
areata and the number of hair loss patches
12 M/38 52 84 No (PoR)
No. of No. of 13 M/37 52 113 Yes (MR)
Factors positive negative 14 M/23 67 83 No (PoR)
response (%) response (%) 15 F/57 40 85 Yes (MR)

Extent of the hair loss patch MR: marked recovery, PR: partial recovery, PoR: poor recovery,
Mild type (＜25%) 8 (61.5) 5 (38.5) NR: no recovery
Moderate type (25∼50%) 1 (50) 1 (50)
Duration
＜1 year 2 (100) 0
≥1 year 7 (53.8) 6 (46.2) DISCUSSION
Number of patch
Single 7 (77.8) 2 (22.2) There are several reports stating that the serum zinc level
Multiple 2 (33.3) 4 (66.7)
is low in alopecia areata patients7,11-13. However, the

144 Ann Dermatol

 The Therapeutic Effect and the Changed Serum Zinc Level after Zinc Supplementation in Alopecia Areata Patients

pathogenesis of this reduced serum zinc level is unknown. fference was statistically significant. Those patients with
As cofactors of metalloenzymes, zinc has considerable mild alopecia areata and those with a single alopecia areata
effects on nearly all aspects of the metabolism that takes patch had a greater positive response than the patients with
place in the organs of the body, including the skin. In fact, moderate alopecia areata and those with multiple alopecia
congenital and acquired zinc deficiencies are usually areata patches. The positive response group maintained zinc
expressed as a variety of skin manifestations such as acro- supplementation for at least 6 months with no recurrence of
dermatitis enteropathica, psoriasis-like eruptions, blisters, their hair loss being seen during their follow-up. The posi-
onychopathy and loss of hair6,14. Several reports have tive response group also showed continuous terminal hair
shown that oral administration of zinc compounds im- regrowth during follow-up. Although these patients had a
proved hair growth5. Yet in 1981, Ead15 reported that oral mild type of long term alopecia areata, zinc supplemen-
administration of zinc compounds had no therapeutic tation can become a possible adjuvant therapy when
effect on hair loss. Ead15 found that after zinc supple- combined with other therapeutic methods, and especially
mentation, the serum zinc level changed from 77.5 μg/dl for those alopecia areata patients with a low serum zinc
to 112.2 μg/dl and the serum zinc level increased by 34.7 level. Prior to this study, there has only been one report of
μg/dl, but the patients did not show a positive therapeutic alopecia areata patients having a low serum zinc level in the
effect. In this study, 6 out of 15 patients belonged to the Korean medical literature3 and there has been no report
negative response group. Among this negative response about the therapeutic effects of zinc supplementation in
group, 4 patients’ serum zinc levels increased and 2 Korea. This study was the first in Korea to evaluate the the-
patients’ serum zinc levels decreased. We think that the rapeutic effects of twelve weeks of oral zinc supplemen-
increased serum zinc levels in the 4 patients are related to tation in alopecia areata patients with a low serum zinc
another cause. The serum zinc level of three patients level and we reported on the changing serum zinc levels
except patient No. 12, increased less than those of the after oral zinc supplementation. Positive therapeutic effects
positive response group. We thought that the No.12 were seen in 9 out of 15 patients, but because of the small
patient’s cause of hair loss was related to stress and numbers of patients, the therapeutic effects were not statis-
fatigue. Two patients with decreased serum zinc levels tically significant. Subsequent studies with a large number
had an irregular oral zinc tablet intake during this study. of alopecia areata patients are needed to clarify the thera-
Zinc is a metal moiety of many enzymes and it is indis- peutic effects of oral zinc supplementation.
pensable for normal cellular function and it has important
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