Illness Perception in Patients with Androgenetic Alopecia and Alopecia Areata in China

This study from 2016 investigated the role of illness perception in patients with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and alopecia areata (AA) in China. The study included 342 patients diagnosed with AGA or AA for the first time at the Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China between October 2013 and December 2014. The study found that illness perception was significantly associated with psychological disorders and dermatological quality of life in patients with AGA and AA in China. The study suggests that identifying critical components of illness perception in alopecia patients could help to understand alopecia specificities, design consultations and interventions according to the perception, and improve physical and mental outcomes as well as QoL in alopecia patients.