%0 Journal Article
%T Quality of Life in Alopecia Areata: A Sample of Tunisian Patients
%A Jawaher Masmoudi
%A Rim Sellami
%A Uta Ouali
%A Leila Mnif
%A Ines Feki
%A Mariam Amouri
%A Hamida Turki
%A Abdellaziz Jaoua
%J Dermatology Research and Practice
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/983804
%X Background. Alopecia areata (AA) has a significant impact on the quality of life and social interaction of those suffering from it. Our aim was to assess the impact of AA on the quality of life. Methods. Fifty patients diagnosed with AA seen in the Department of Dermatology of Hedi Chaker University Hospital, between March 2010 and July 2010, were included. Quality of life was measured by SF 36; severity of AA was measured by SALT. Results. Eighty percent had patchy alopecia with less than 50% involvement, 12% had patchy alopecia with 50¨C99% involvement, and 8% had alopecia totalis. Compared with the general population, AA patients presented a significantly altered quality of life, found in the global score and in five subscores of the SF-36: mental health, role emotional, social functioning, vitality, and general health. Gender, age, marital status, and severity of alopecia areata had a significant influence on patientsĄ¯ quality of life. Conclusions. This study indicates that patients with AA experience a poor quality of life, which impacts their overall health. We suggest screening for psychiatric distress. Studies of interventions such as counseling, psychoeducation, and psychotherapeutic interventions to reduce the impact of the disease may be warranted. 1. Introduction Alopecia areata (AA) is a common disease with an incidence of 2-3% among the dermatoses and 0.1% in the population at large [1]. This disorder occurs in both sexes, at all ages [2], and is characterized by the sudden appearance of areas of hair loss on the scalp and other hair-bearing areas. Various factors, including immunologic and endocrine abnormalities [3], genetic factors [4], infections [5], and psychological/psychiatric disturbances, have been claimed to play a role in its etiopathogenesis [6]. Hence, it is suspected to be an autoimmune disease having a genetic predisposition and being influenced by environmental and ethnic factors. Epidemiological studies of AA are available from the USA, Japan, and European countries [7¨C9]. However, there is a paucity of data from Arab countries, with especially one published study from Kuwait done in the pediatric age group [10]. Hair loss significantly impacts an individualĄ¯s self image, and studies indicate that patients with both clinically apparent and clinically imperceptible hair loss may have significantly decreased quality of life [11, 12]. Quality of life is defined as the subjective perception of the impact on the health status and on the physical, psychological, and social functioning and well-being of the patients [13].
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/drp/2013/983804/