Quality of life in Alopecia Areata : A Disease specific Questionnaire

Teja Sree,*
Pravallika Penumatsa,
Laxmi Shalini Chilakapati,
Haritha Samanthula

Abstract

Background - Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease, impacts 2% of the population worldwide and has a significant impact on the quality of life (QOL) of individuals. Aim - To assess quality of life in patients with alopecia areata using Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). To study the quality of life in relation to age group and gender. Methods - In this study 40 patients with alopecia areata were enrolled and asked to complete the DLQI questionnaire. Results - Out of the 40 patients with AA, there were 26 (65%) males and 14 (35%) females with a male to female ratio of 1.85 : 1. A majority (58.03%) of patients were between 31 and 40 years of age. The duration of the disease was found to be extremely variable. It varied from two weeks to several years. 65% patients were concerned about their disease. Conclusion - Our study shows that alopecia areata considerably impacts quality of life and this is more pronounced in patients with severe disease and those who had acute stress recently. The QOL of AA patients needs to be considered more seriously. So, Psychological evaluation of patients is recommended as per our study.