Pattern and profile of alopecia areata in Pakistan
Keywords:
Alopecia areata, clinical features, associationsAbstract
Objective To assess the clinical features and associations of alopecia areata in Pakistani population. Patients and methods A cross sectional study was carried out at the dermatology department of Combined Military Hospital Kharian Cantonment during one calendar year. During the study period all patients presenting to the dermatology outpatient with a possible diagnosis of alopecia areata were evaluated. Information regarding age of onset, duration of illness and associated symptoms, was recorded on a pro forma for every patient. Physical examination was done to assess the extent of hair loss, nail changes and associated diseases. Results Eighty three patients were enrolled during the study period. Sixty (72%) were males and 23 (28%) were females. Mean age of onset was 21.4 years (range 2-50 years). Duration of the illness varied from one week to 12 years. Fifty nine (71%) patients presented with first episode, 16 with second episode and in 8 patients disease was continuous. Sixty one patients (73.6%) had patchy alopecia, 10 (12%) had ophiasis, 8 (9.6%) had reticulate alopecia, while 1 (1.2%) had alopecia totalis, and 2 (2.4%) had alopecia universalis. Nail changes were seen in 17 (20.7%) patients. Personal and family history of atopy was found in 26 (31.3%) patients. A family history of alopecia areata was recorded in 11 (12.1%) patients. Two patients had thyroid disease and one had a family history of vitiligo. Conclusion Alopecia areata in Pakistani population may have a lower frequency of autoimmune associations. Larger studies are recommended to further validate our results.References
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