Alopecia Areata in the Elderly: A 10-Year Retrospective Study

January 2015 in “ Annals of dermatology/Annals of Dermatology ”

Yong Hyun Jang, Kyung Hea Park, Sang Lim Kim, Hyun Jung Lim, Weon Ju Lee, Seok Jong Lee, Do Won Kim

TLDR Alopecia areata in elderly people is usually mild and responds well to treatment.

This 10-year retrospective study examined alopecia areata (AA) in elderly patients, a relatively rare occurrence. Out of 1,761 newly diagnosed AA patients, 61 (3.5%) were over 60 years old. Clinical reviews and telephone interviews revealed that 74.3% of these elderly patients had less than 50% scalp-localized hair loss. There was no significant association between the extent of AA and hair graying. A favorable therapeutic response was observed in 62.9% of cases. The study concluded that AA in the elderly typically presented with mild severity and responded well to treatment, though the impact of aging on AA's pathogenesis warranted further research.

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