Gauthier Genevieve, Hanson Kent A, Tran Helen, Napatalung Lynne, Bell Griffith, Sadrarhami Mojgan, Lee Lulu, Sternbach Nikoletta, Law Ernest H, Kurosky Samantha K
Pfizer Inc, New York, New York, USA.
Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes and Policy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
J Dermatol. 2025 May 23;52(7):1185-91. doi: 10.1111/1346-8138.17786.
Alopecia areata (AA) can significantly impact mental/emotional quality of life, which may be partially attributed to disease-related stigma. We assessed patient-reported stigma in US adults with AA using data collected from the 2023 US National Health and Wellness Survey. Demographics, clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and perceived stigma were analyzed for patients with physician-diagnosed AA, stratified by self-reported disease severity. Data were weighted to match demographics of the US adult population. Of 75 007 (weighted n = 255.7 million) adults who completed the survey, 859 (weighted n = 2.9 million; 1.1%) self-reported physician-diagnosed AA. Among those reporting physician-diagnosed AA, 58.8%, 26.2%, and 15.0% self-reported mild, moderate, and severe AA, respectively. Overall, 40.1% reported experiencing symptoms of diagnosed emotional/mental health conditions in the past 12 months; 10.8% were receiving psychological counseling, and 10.8% were receiving medications for AA-related anxiety, depression, or sleep disorders. Internal or external stigma was reported by 79.2% of respondents. Adults with AA reported substantial emotional/mental health comorbidities, with few receiving counseling or therapeutic intervention. Dissatisfaction with their current hair growth was prevalent, and considerable stigma was reported across all levels of AA disease severity, highlighting the substantial impact of external perceptions of AA. Experiencing AA stigma may lead to social withdrawal and isolation, further exacerbating the psychosocial burden of AA.
斑秃（AA）会显著影响心理/情绪生活质量，这可能部分归因于与疾病相关的污名。我们使用从2023年美国国家健康与健康调查收集的数据，评估了美国成年斑秃患者报告的污名情况。对医生诊断为斑秃的患者的人口统计学、临床特征、合并症和感知到的污名进行了分析，并根据自我报告的疾病严重程度进行分层。对数据进行加权以匹配美国成年人口的人口统计学特征。在完成调查的75007名（加权n = 2.557亿）成年人中，859人（加权n = 290万；1.1%）自我报告医生诊断为斑秃。在报告医生诊断为斑秃的人群中，分别有58.8%、26.2%和15.0%的人自我报告为轻度、中度和重度斑秃。总体而言，40.1%的人报告在过去12个月中出现了已诊断的情绪/心理健康状况的症状；10.8%的人正在接受心理咨询，10.8%的人正在接受治疗斑秃相关焦虑、抑郁或睡眠障碍的药物治疗。79.2%的受访者报告有内部或外部污名。斑秃成年人报告有大量情绪/心理健康合并症，很少有人接受咨询或治疗干预。对当前头发生长不满意的情况很普遍，并且在斑秃疾病严重程度的各个层面都报告了相当程度的污名，这突出了外部对斑秃认知的重大影响。经历斑秃污名可能导致社交退缩和孤立，进一步加重斑秃的心理社会负担。
