Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases and Mental Health Conditions in Alopecia Areata

According to a study published in The Journal of Dermatology, patients with alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis (AT/AU) generally had a greater prevalence of autoimmune and inflammatory disease and mental health conditions than patients with non-AT/AU alopecia areata (AA).

Researchers aimed to assess the burden of comorbidities in patients with AA and its clinical subtypes, AT and AU, compared with individuals without AA. The study utilized data from the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart database, including patients aged 12 years and older enrolled between October 2016 and September 2020.

A total of 8784 patients with AA (599 with AT/AU) and 26 352 matched patients without AA were included in the analysis. The incidence rate of AA was found to be 17.5 per 100 000 person-years, with AT/AU accounting for 1.1 per 100 000 person-years. The prevalence of AA was 54.9 per 100 000 persons, with AT/AU at 3.8 and non-AT/AU at 51.2. Findings revealed that patients with AA had a higher prevalence of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases compared with the non-AA cohort. Conditions such as allergic rhinitis (24.0% vs 14.5%), asthma (12.8% vs 8.8%), atopic dermatitis (8.3% vs 1.8%), and psoriasis (5.0% vs 1.6%) were more common among patients with AA. Additionally, the proportions of anxiety (30.7% vs 21.6%) and major depressive disorder (17.5% vs 14.0%) were higher in patients with AA compared with those without AA.

These findings suggest that AA and its clinical subtypes are associated with an increased burden of comorbidities, including autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, as well as mental health conditions.

Reference
George P, Jagun O, Liu Q, et al. Prevalence of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and mental health conditions among an alopecia areata cohort from a US administrative claims database. J Dermatol. Published online June 8, 2023. doi:10.1111/1346-8138.16839