Patients with CCCA May be at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

Two prior studies by Coogan et al and Kyei et al suggested that women with Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) are at risk for diabetes. A third study now supports this notion.

The study was a study of black women between the ages of 18 and 74 who presented over a 4 year period to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Electronic databases were searched to find patients with a clinical diagnosis of CCCAA and also those with a biopsy-proven diagnosis too.

Using the “hemoglobin A1c” blood test as a marker for diabetes, the researchers showed that 58 % of 181 women with CCCA had an elevated hemoglobin A1c test result that suggested a diagnosis of diabetes. In contrast, 43 % of 16, 454 women who did not have CCCA had an elevated hemoglobin A1c test result that suggested a diagnosis of diabetes.

The researchers also looked at the data another way. Of women in the study with a clinical diagnosis CCCA, 37 % had a history of diabetes compared to just 12 % of control patients. All in all, these data suggested that women with CCCA are at a 4.13 fold increased risk for diabetes compared to race, age and sex matched controls.

Of women in the study with a biopsy-proven diagnosis of CCCA, 32 % had a history of diabetes compared to just 12 % of control patients. All in all, this data suggested that women with CCCA are at a 3.26 fold increased risk for diabetes.

Conclusion and Summary

Women wth CCCA, including non-obese women, are at increased risk for diabetes. Appropriate diabetes screening is needed for all patients with CCCA.

Reference

Roche et al. Association of type 2 diabetes with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia: A follow-up study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021 Feb 18;S0190-9622(21)00361-3

Coogan PF et al. Association of type 2 iabetes with central-scalp hair loss in a large cohort study of African American women. .Int J Womens Dermatol. 2019 Jun 6;5(4):261-266.

Kyei et al. Medical and environmental risk factors for the development of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia: a population study..Arch Dermatol. 2011 Aug;147(8):909-14.