Incidence of alopecia areata in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1975 through 1989
KH Safavi, SA Muller, VJ Suman, AN Moshell… - Mayo Clinic …, 1995 - Elsevier
KH Safavi, SA Muller, VJ Suman, AN Moshell, LJ Melton III
Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 1995•ElsevierObjective To assess the incidence and natural history of alopecia areata (AA) among
unselected patients from a community. Design We conducted a retrospective population-
based descriptive study of AA among residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, for the period
from 1975 through 1989. Material and Methods After identifying 292 Olmsted County
residents first diagnosed with AA during the 15-year study period, we reviewed their
complete (inpatient and outpatient) medical records in the community and statistically …
unselected patients from a community. Design We conducted a retrospective population-
based descriptive study of AA among residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, for the period
from 1975 through 1989. Material and Methods After identifying 292 Olmsted County
residents first diagnosed with AA during the 15-year study period, we reviewed their
complete (inpatient and outpatient) medical records in the community and statistically …
Objective
To assess the incidence and natural history of alopecia areata (AA) among unselected patients from a community.
Design
We conducted a retrospective population-based descriptive study of AA among residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, for the period from 1975 through 1989.
Material and Methods
After identifying 292 Olmsted County residents first diagnosed with AA during the 15-year study period, we reviewed their complete (inpatient and outpatient) medical records in the community and statistically analyzed the effects of gender and age-group.
Results
The overall incidence of AA was 20.2 per 100,000 person-years and did not change with time. Rates were similar in the two genders and over all ages, and lifetime risk was estimated at 1.7%. Eighty-seven percent of patients were examined by a dermatologist who diagnosed AA, and 29% of cases were confirmed by biopsy. Most patients had mild or moderate disease, but alopecia totalis or universalis developed at some point during the clinical course in 21 patients.
Conclusion
This study of the incidence and natural history of AA in a community shows that this disorder is fairly common and can be seen at all ages. Although spontaneous resolution is expected in most patients, a small but significant proportion of cases (probably approximately 7%) may evolve into severe and chronic hair loss, which may be psychosocially devastating for affected persons.
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