TY - JOUR

T1 - Psychosocial and mental impact of alopecia areata

T2 - Analysis of the Danish Skin Cohort

AU - Clemmesen, Maria Elise Ross

AU - Gren, Susanne Thiesen

AU - Frøstrup, Anne Grete

AU - Thomsen, Simon Francis

AU - Egeberg, Alexander

AU - Thein, David

N1 - © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

PY - 2024/6/28

Y1 - 2024/6/28

N2 - IMPORTANCE: Alopecia areata (AA) carries a psychological burden for patients beyond hair loss. However, quality-of-life measurement tools such as EQ-5D used in clinical trials may not adequately capture the burden of AA, the perceived stigmatization or the psychosocial impact of AA.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential association between disease severity and the degree of social isolation, perceived stigmatization, anxiety and depression, alcohol consumption and work absenteeism using multiple PRO measures in patients with AA.DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Using the Danish Skin Cohort, the study included adult patients diagnosed with AA. The study included multiple PRO measures, including Skindex-16, EQ-5D-5L, Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) and the Alopecia Areata Symptom Impact Scale (AASIS). The questionnaires were dispatched to the patients in January 2023. The severity of AA was determined based on scalp involvement using a modified Alopecia Areata Scale. Multiple multivariate linear regressions were conducted using Skindex-16, AASIS and WPAI, while multivariate logistic regressions were applied to HADS, AUDIT-C and EQ-5D-5L.RESULTS: A total of 376 patients were included, of which 177 (47%) had severe disease, 41 (11%) had moderate disease, 94 (25%) had mild disease, and 64 (17%) were in remission. The median age of patients was 55 (IQR, 47-66 years) and most were female (70%). Skindex-16 and AASIS were the only PRO measures able to distinguish between severity. For these scores, moderate and severe diseases, female sex, and involvement of eyebrows increased the score and negatively impacted patient quality of life.CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: The results indicate the importance of using the proper tool for the intended measurement of quality of life and that factors such as the severity of AA, as well as female sex and involvement of the eyebrows, may potentially increase the psychosocial burden of AA.

AB - IMPORTANCE: Alopecia areata (AA) carries a psychological burden for patients beyond hair loss. However, quality-of-life measurement tools such as EQ-5D used in clinical trials may not adequately capture the burden of AA, the perceived stigmatization or the psychosocial impact of AA.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential association between disease severity and the degree of social isolation, perceived stigmatization, anxiety and depression, alcohol consumption and work absenteeism using multiple PRO measures in patients with AA.DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Using the Danish Skin Cohort, the study included adult patients diagnosed with AA. The study included multiple PRO measures, including Skindex-16, EQ-5D-5L, Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) and the Alopecia Areata Symptom Impact Scale (AASIS). The questionnaires were dispatched to the patients in January 2023. The severity of AA was determined based on scalp involvement using a modified Alopecia Areata Scale. Multiple multivariate linear regressions were conducted using Skindex-16, AASIS and WPAI, while multivariate logistic regressions were applied to HADS, AUDIT-C and EQ-5D-5L.RESULTS: A total of 376 patients were included, of which 177 (47%) had severe disease, 41 (11%) had moderate disease, 94 (25%) had mild disease, and 64 (17%) were in remission. The median age of patients was 55 (IQR, 47-66 years) and most were female (70%). Skindex-16 and AASIS were the only PRO measures able to distinguish between severity. For these scores, moderate and severe diseases, female sex, and involvement of eyebrows increased the score and negatively impacted patient quality of life.CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: The results indicate the importance of using the proper tool for the intended measurement of quality of life and that factors such as the severity of AA, as well as female sex and involvement of the eyebrows, may potentially increase the psychosocial burden of AA.

U2 - 10.1111/jdv.20211

DO - 10.1111/jdv.20211

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 38940661

JO - Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology

JF - Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology

SN - 0926-9959

ER -