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ABSTRACT: Introduction
Alopecia areata (AA) is a non-scarring hair loss condition, subclassified into AA, alopecia universalis, and alopecia totalis. There are indications that people with AA experience adverse psychosocial outcomes, but previous studies have not included a thorough meta-analysis and did not compare people with AA to people with other dermatological diagnoses. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to update and expand previous systematic reviews, as well as describing and quantifying levels of anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL) in children and adults with AA.Methods
A search was conducted, yielding 1,249 unique records of which 93 were included.Results
Review results showed that people with AA have higher chances of being diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression and experience impaired QoL. Their psychosocial outcomes are often similar to other people with a dermatological condition. Meta-analytic results showed significantly more symptoms of anxiety and depression in adults with AA compared to healthy controls. Results also showed a moderate impact on QoL. These results further highlight that AA, despite causing little physical impairments, can have a significant amount on patients' well-being.Discussion
Future studies should examine the influence of disease severity, disease duration, remission and relapse, and medication use to shed light on at-risk groups in need of referral to psychological care.Systematic review registration
[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier [CRD42022323174].
SUBMITTER: van Dalen M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9745337 | biostudies-literature | 2022
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

van Dalen Marije M Muller Kirsten S KS Kasperkovitz-Oosterloo Johanna M JM Okkerse Jolanda M E JME Pasmans Suzanne G M A SGMA
Frontiers in medicine 20221129
<h4>Introduction</h4>Alopecia areata (AA) is a non-scarring hair loss condition, subclassified into AA, alopecia universalis, and alopecia totalis. There are indications that people with AA experience adverse psychosocial outcomes, but previous studies have not included a thorough meta-analysis and did not compare people with AA to people with other dermatological diagnoses. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to update and expand previous systematic reviews, as we ...[more]