Department of Dermatology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
Department of Dermatology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
BMJ Open. 2022 Feb 16;12(2):e053137. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053137.
Alopecia areata (AA) is a common disorder of patchy hair loss which carries a substantial psychological burden for patients. The current understanding of AA prevalence, disease course and burden is limited, and further research is needed to improve patient care. This prospective cohort of AA patients within the Danish Skin Cohort was established to provide data that can serve as a tool in future studies of for example, AA epidemiology and disease burden.
A total of 1494 patients with dermatologist-verified AA were included in the cohort. Patients were invited and included through electronic or phone-based questionnaires. Information regarding demographics, biometrics, lifestyle factors, skin type, AA onset and development, health-related quality of life and self-reported severity assessment was collected.
The mean (SD) age of AA onset was 32.7 (17.6) years. The mean body mass index and history of cigarette smoking was comparable with the general population. The majority (92.5%) of participants were Caucasian. In total, 72.4% of patients received their diagnosis by a physician within a year after onset of symptoms, and 66.9% reported to still have symptoms of AA within the past year. A total of 12% reported to have a first-degree family member with AA. In total, 31.4% of patients were missing all or nearly all hairs on their scalp, 32.2% had no or barely no eyelashes and 36.2% had no or barely no eyebrow hairs. Overall, most patients (55.7%) did not experience irritated eyes, but 30% reported slight eye irritation and 47.2% reported no damage to finger nails or toenails.
Observational studies regarding comorbidities, psychosocial burden of AA and efficacy of pharmacological interventions will be carried out and additional data will be linked from nationwide registries of routinely collected data. Furthermore, follow-up survey data will be added for longitudinal analyses.
斑秃（AA）是一种常见的斑片状脱发疾病，会给患者带来很大的心理负担。目前对 AA 的患病率、疾病进程和负担的了解有限，需要进一步研究以改善患者的护理。本研究通过丹麦皮肤队列中 AA 患者的前瞻性队列研究，提供数据，为未来 AA 流行病学和疾病负担的研究提供工具。
该队列共纳入 1494 例经皮肤科医生确诊的 AA 患者。通过电子或电话问卷调查邀请并纳入患者。收集了人口统计学、生物统计学、生活方式因素、皮肤类型、AA 发病和发展、健康相关生活质量和自我报告严重程度评估等信息。
AA 发病的平均（SD）年龄为 32.7（17.6）岁。平均体重指数和吸烟史与一般人群相当。大多数（92.5%）参与者为白种人。总的来说，72.4%的患者在症状出现后一年内由医生诊断出 AA，66.9%的患者在过去一年中仍有 AA 症状。共有 12%的患者报告其一级亲属患有 AA。总的来说，31.4%的患者头皮上完全或几乎没有头发，32.2%的患者没有或几乎没有睫毛，36.2%的患者没有或几乎没有眉毛。总的来说，大多数患者（55.7%）眼睛没有刺激感，但 30%的患者报告有轻微的眼睛刺激感，47.2%的患者报告手指甲或脚趾甲没有损伤。
将开展关于 AA 合并症、心理社会负担和药物干预疗效的观察性研究，并将从全国常规收集数据的登记处链接额外的数据。此外，将增加随访调查数据进行纵向分析。
