Clinicoepidemiological profile, precipitating factors and severity indicators in alopecia areata in Manipur

Introduction: Alopecia areata (AA) is common cause of non-cicatricial alopecia, characterised by single or multiple patches of hair loss affecting scalp and body hair. It is an autoimmune disorder with an unpredictable course and has profound psychosocial impact on the patients. Objective: To study the clinicoepidemiologial profile, precipitating factors and factors influencing the severity of alopecia areata. Methods and selection criteria: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Dermatology Outpatient Department in a tertiary care hospital from October 2011 to September 2013. All new cases of alopecia areata, aged between 1 and 60 years who presented to the Dermatology OPD and fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. A detailed history was taken and clinical examination conducted and recorded. Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square Test were used. Analyses of these data were done by SPSS software, version 16.0. Results: Majority of the patients belonged to the age group of 21 to 30 years. Psychological stress was the most common precipitating factor with 33 (22.75%). Severity wise, moderate AA constituted 84 (57.9%) patients, mild cases constituted 49 (33.8%) patients, 9 (6.2%) patients presented with ophiasis and severe AA which comprises of alopecia totalis and universalis was found in 3 (2.1%) patients. Conclusion: We found that psychological stress plays a major role in precipitating AA and influences its severity. Atopic individuals are more likely to develop AA, specifically the ophiasis type. Ophiasis was more often associated with atopy. Other autoimmune diseases like diabetes mellitus and vitiligo are the common associations.