The Epidemiology of Hospital-Treated Alopecia Areata in Denmark, 1995–2016
April 2024
in “
Dermatology and therapy
”
TLDR In Denmark from 1995 to 2016, hospital-treated alopecia areata cases increased, mostly affecting women and those over 50.
The study analyzed the incidence and prevalence of hospital-treated alopecia areata (AA) in Denmark from 1995 to 2016, involving 2,778 individuals diagnosed with AA. The incidence rate was found to be 2.62 per 100,000 person-years, with a prevalence of 71.7 per 100,000 persons in 2016, and an observed increase over time. The majority of patients were female (63.1%) and a significant portion were aged ≥ 50 years (28.7%). Comorbidities and medication use were generally low, with antihypertensives (17.1%) and systemic steroids (14.7%) being the most common medications among the cohort. The study suggests that the actual incidence and prevalence of AA might be higher than reported, as it only accounted for hospital-treated cases.