J Korean Med Sci.  2012 Jul;27(7):799-802. 10.3346/jkms.2012.27.7.799.

Clinical Characteristics and Prognostic Factors in Early-Onset Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis

• Cho HH
• Jo SJ
• Paik SH
• Jeon HC
• Kim KH
• Eun HC
• Kwon OS

• KMID: 2157927
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2012.27.7.799

Abstract

Alopecia totalis (AT) and alopecia universalis (AU), severe forms of alopecia areata (AA), show distinguishable clinical characteristics from those of patch AA. In this study, we investigated the clinical characteristics of AT/AU according to the onset age. Based on the onset age around adolescence (< or > or = 13 yr), 108 patients were classified in an early-onset group and the other 179 patients in a late-onset group. We found that more patients in the early-onset group had a family history of AA, nail dystrophy, and history of atopic dermatitis than those in the late-onset group. These clinical differences were more prominent in patients with AU than in those with AT. In addition, significantly more patients with concomitant medical disorders, especially allergic diseases were found in the early-onset group (45.8%) than in the late-onset group (31.2%). All treatment modalities failed to show any association with the present hair condition of patients. In the early-onset group, patients with AU or a family history of AA showed worse prognosis, whereas this trend was not observed in the late-onset group. Systemic evaluations might be needed in early-onset patients due to the higher incidence of comorbid diseases. It is suggested that patients with AU or family history of AA make worse progress in the early-onset group than in the late-onset group.

Keyword

Alopecia Totalis; Alopecia Universalis; Age of Onset

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Age of Onset
Alopecia/diagnosis/epidemiology
Alopecia Areata/*diagnosis/epidemiology
Child
Child, Preschool
Dermatitis, Atopic/diagnosis
Family Health
Female
Humans
Infant
Male
Middle Aged
Nail Diseases/diagnosis
Prognosis
Young Adult

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Assessment of clinical characteristics of AT and AU by onset-age. *P < 0.1, †P < 0.01.

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