Abstract: Li Shuifeng, Zhang Xiaoting, Qi Shiling, Ye Yanting, Cao Hui, Yang Yuqing, Zhang Xingqi. First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China Corresponding author: Zhang Xingqi, Email: xingqi.zhang@aliyun.com 【Abstract】 Objective To analyze the clinical features of, concurrence of allergic diseases in, as well as serum levels of total immunoglobulin E （IgE） and specific IgEs in, 232 patients with alopecia areata （AA）, and to estimate their relationship. Methods Serum samples were obtained from 232 patients with AA and 110 healthy controls from a health check-up center. Turbidimetric immunoassay and fluorescence-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed to measure total IgE and specific IgEs to common antigens in these serum samples, respectively. Statistical analysis was carried out by t test, rank sum test, and chi-square test. Results The patients showed a male/female ratio of 127 ∶ 105 with an average age of （26.4 ± 13.8） years and clinical course of （25.3 ± 42.3） months. Among these patients, 89 （38.4%） suffered from severe AA, and 67 （28.9%） reported at least one allergic disease. No significant difference was found in the positive rates of serum total IgE （30.2% vs. 21.8%, P > 0.05）, anti-Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and -Cockroach specific IgEs or the serum levels of anti-Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus or -Cockroach IgE between the patients and healthy controls. The three most common specific IgEs were anti-Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus IgE（34.1%）, anti-Dermatophagoides farinae IgE （31.9%） and anti-Cockroach IgE（22.5%） in patients with AA, whose serum levels were positively correlated with the level of serum total IgE separately. A significant increase was observed in the positive rates and serum levels of anti-Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and -Cockroach specific IgEs in patients with severe and diffuse AA compared with the healthy controls and patients with mild AA, as well as in those of anti-Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus specific IgE in child patients with AA compared with the healthy controls and adult patients with AA （P < 0.05 or 0.01）. Conclusions Dust mite allergy may be not only a pathogenic factor for severe, diffuse and childhood AA, but also a risk factor for early onset and severe type of AA.

Key words: Alopecia areata, Anaphylaxis, Pyroglyphidae, Cockroaches