Alopecia areata: immunofluorescence and other studies

Abstract
In a study of 24 patients with alopecia areata, scalp biopsies were examined for immunofluorescence; all were negative. A number of other tests also failed to confirm an auto-immune aetiology for this disease. A possible explanation lies in the heterogeneity of alopecia areata, only a small proportion of cases being of the auto-immune type.