Abstract
BackgroundAlopecia areata (AA) is a common and chronic skin disease with an unknown etiology. It may significantly affect the patient quality of life. This study was designed to evaluate the illness perception in patients with AA.MethodsA questionnaire consisting of 25 questions about causes, timeline, consequences and control of disease were given to 80 patients with AA attending a skin clinic in Tehran, Iran. The impact of age, gender, duration of disease, education, extent of disease and family history of AA were also assessed.ResultsEighty patients (38 male and 42 female) with a mean age of 27.5 years (SD = 9.3) and disease duration of 7.8 years (SD = 7.7) completed the questionnaire. 76.9% of the patients believed that the role of stress was the cause of disease. 17.1 % believed genetic background to be the main cause, this found to be more frequent in patients with positive family history of AA. More than half of patients believed that their illness had major consequences on their lives and 40% of patients believed that their illness would be likely to be permanent rather than temporary, more in patients with longer duration of disease. Only 57.5% of patients considered their treatments to be effective.ConclusionAA may considerably affect various aspects of patients' lives. The patient knowledge about the causes and course of this disease is limited.
Highlights
Alopecia areata (AA) is a common and chronic skin disease with an unknown etiology
The hair loss might be seen in a circumscribed area or the whole scalp or whole body [1]
The course of disease is not predictable and it is often associated with periods of hair loss and regrowth
Summary
Alopecia areata (AA) is a common and chronic skin disease with an unknown etiology. It may significantly affect the patient quality of life. The hair loss might be seen in a circumscribed area or the whole scalp (alopecia totalis or AT) or whole body (alopecia universalis or AU) [1]. It is a common disease and at any given time, 0.2% of the population has AA and 1.7% of the population will experience an episode of AA during their lifetime [2,3]. The clinical severity of a patient's AA may not be a good indicator of subsequent downturn in quality of life or psychological well-being
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
