BH15 The Burden of Alopecia Areata: Examining Baseline Health-Related Quality of Life and Clinical Assessment Tools

This study highlights the significant impact of alopecia areata (AA) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), particularly mental health, among 20 patients. Traditional assessment using the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) may underestimate this impact as it focuses solely on scalp hair loss. In contrast, newer tools like the Alopecia Areata Patient Priority Outcomes (AAPPO) and the Alopecia Areata Symptom Impact Scale (AASIS) provide a more comprehensive evaluation by considering both hair loss extent and quality-of-life impact. The study found that these newer tools have a significant positive association with HRQoL, indicating their superiority over SALT in assessing the overall burden of AA.