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Evaluation of dry eye and Meibomian gland dysfunction in female androgenetic alopecia patients

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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate dry eye tests and Meibomian gland functions in female androgenetic alopecia patients.

Materials and methods

Twenty left eyes of 20 female androgenetic alopecia patients (Group 1) and 20 left eyes of 20 healthy female volunteers (Group 2) were enrolled in the study. The presence of dry eye was evaluated with Schirmer 1 test, invasive tear film break-up time (T-BUT), Oxford scale scoring and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score assessments. Evaluation of upper and lower eyelid Meibomian glands was performed using infrared filter of a slit-lamp biomicroscope, and the drop out ratio was scored for each eyelid.

Results

The mean ages of Group 1 and Group 2 were 48.3 ± 6.6 (range, 38–58) and 49.8 ± 5.4 (range, 38–59) years, respectively (P = 0.437). Mean T-BUT was statistically significantly lower in Group 1 (P = 0.013); mean OSDI score was significantly higher in Group 1 (P = 0.049). Mean Schirmer 1 score was lower and mean Oxford score was higher in Group 1, but the differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.291, P = 0.088, respectively). In addition, upper, lower and total meiboscores were significantly higher in Group 1 (P = 0.007, P = 0.003, P = 0.002, respectively).

Conclusion

Alterations in sex hormones play a role in the pathogenesis of both female androgenetic alopecia and Meibomian gland dysfunction. Significant differences were detected in the results of dry eye tests and Meibomian gland dropout ratios between subjects with female androgenetic alopecia and healthy control subjects. For this reason, female androgenetic alopecia patients should be examined for dry eye and Meibomian gland dysfunction and should be treated to prevent serious consequences.

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Funding

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Goz Hastaliklari AD, 35040, Izmir, Turkey

    Pelin Kiyat, Melis Palamar & Ayse Yagci

  2. Department of Dermatology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey

    Bengu Gerceker Turk

Authors
  1. Pelin Kiyat
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  2. Melis Palamar
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  3. Bengu Gerceker Turk
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  4. Ayse Yagci
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Pelin Kiyat, Melis Palamar. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Pelin Kiyat, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Melis Palamar.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by Institutional Ethics Committee of Ege University and followed the tenets of Helsinki Declaration. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Institutional Ethics Committee of Ege University and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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This study has been accepted as a poster in 38th ESCRS Congress in 2020, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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Kiyat, P., Palamar, M., Gerceker Turk, B. et al. Evaluation of dry eye and Meibomian gland dysfunction in female androgenetic alopecia patients. Int Ophthalmol 41, 3749–3757 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-021-01946-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-021-01946-3

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