Alopecia Areata Has High Comorbidity Burden and Few Effective Treatment Options

Approximately half of patients with alopecia areata (AA) are prescribed treatment within a year of diagnosis and existing off-label treatments are not frequently used, according to a recent publication in Advances in Therapy.

“Using administrative claims data, this analysis seeks to assess the prevalence of comorbidities, evaluate treatment patterns, and describe costs of care in patients diagnosed with AA in the USA,” wrote the study authors.

Researchers performed a retrospective, observational claims analysis utilizes data from a commercial claims and encounters database and a Medicare Supplemental database to study patients who had at least one outpatient visit, inpatient admission, or health care provider visit with an AA diagnosis between January 1, 2011, and December 21, 2018. Patients must have had no other hair loss-related disorders and have been continuously enrolled with medical and pharmacy benefits 12 months before AA diagnosis. Statistical analyses were used to summarize comorbid conditions, treatments related to AA or other autoimmune/inflammatory conditions, and all-cause and AA-specific health care costs and resource utilization identified from claims data.

Patients with AA had a high prevalence of comorbidities, with 22.4% having hyperlipidemia, 21.8% hypertension, 13.1% thyroid disorders, 10.8% contact dermatitis or eczema, 9.5% depression, and 8.4% anxiety. Autoimmune diseases with AA included atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, chronic urticaria, and rheumatoid arthritis. During the 12-month follow-up, 55.8% of patients were prescribed treatment for their AA or other comorbidities. Within 7 days of AA diagnosis, 44.9% of treated patients were prescribed therapy. Most patients received topical steroids and less received oral steroids. All-causes expenses reached $11,241 while AA costs were $419.12.

“Patients with AA have a high comorbidity burden and lack of treatment,” concluded the study authors. “Current AA treatments, including systemic therapies other than oral steroids, were not frequently utilized in this study population” they continued. “Health care costs incurred by patients with AA went beyond AA-related expenses.”

Reference
Senna M, Ko J, Tosti A, et al. Alopecia areata treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization, and comorbidities in the US population using insurance claims. Adv Ther. 2021;10.1007/s12325-021-01845-0. doi:10.1007/s12325-021-01845-0