Alopecia Areata in Latin America: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?

December 2022 in “ Dermatology and Therapy ”

Margarita María Velásquez‐Lopera, Natalia Hernández Mantilla, Angela Marie Jansen, Ángela Londoño, Paula Carolina Luna, Mariana Rico-Restrepo, María Del Mar Saez-de-Ocariz, María Margarita Tamayo-Buendía, Maria Cecília Rivitti Machado

alopecia areata dermatologic care conventional medicines novel medicines therapy initiation mental health disease progression quality of life stigmas discrimination disease awareness epidemiology disease burden treatment outcomes clinical practice guidelines AA dermatology awareness guidelines

Studysummary This review discusses the unmet needs and barriers in managing alopecia areata in Latin America, highlighting access constraints and recommending coordinated efforts to improve patient outcomes with promising new treatments. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

Alopecia areata (AA) is a significant but underrecognized issue in Latin America (LA), with limited access to specialized dermatologic care and therapies. A panel of six dermatologists from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico identified that access constraints to both conventional and novel medicines hinder appropriate treatments for patients, and delays in therapy initiation can affect mental health, disease progression, and quality of life. The panel also noted that people with AA face stigmas, discrimination, and misconceptions due to a lack of disease awareness. With new treatments for AA on the horizon, the panel recommends that all stakeholders coordinate efforts to enhance LA’s AA management landscape and improve patient outcomes. The document also emphasizes the need to generate local data on AA epidemiology, disease burden, and treatment outcomes, and calls for the development of national clinical practice guidelines tailored to each country's unique context.

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Research cited in this study

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