Alopecia à Deux: Simultaneous Occurrence of Alopecia in a Husband and Wife
March 1994
in “
Archives of Dermatology
”
TLDR A married couple both developed alopecia areata, possibly due to shared stress.
The document discussed the simultaneous occurrence of alopecia areata (AA) in a married couple, a rare phenomenon given the general incidence rate of 17.2 per 100,000 per year. It highlighted that AA affects 1-4% of dermatology patients and has a lifetime risk of about 1%. The study noted that both men and women are equally at risk and mentioned psychosocial factors like stress as potential triggers. The concept of "folie à deux," where delusional ideas or behaviors are transferred between closely related individuals, was introduced to explain the simultaneous onset of AA in the couple.