All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Risks Associated With Alopecia Areata
August 2019
in “
JAMA dermatology
”
alopecia areata alopecia totalis alopecia universalis National Health Insurance Service National Death Registry mortality risk intentional self-harm psychiatric diseases lung cancer diabetes mellitus hair loss total hair loss universal hair loss NHIS NDR death risk self-harm mental health issues diabetes
TLDR People with alopecia areata have similar overall death rates as others but higher risks of death from self-harm, psychiatric issues, and lung cancer in certain cases.
The retrospective cohort study, using data from the National Health Insurance Service database and National Death Registry of Korea, included 73,107 patients with alopecia areata and 731,070 age- and sex-matched controls to investigate all-cause and cause-specific mortality risks over a 10-year period. The study found no significant difference in all-cause mortality risk between patients with alopecia areata and controls. However, there was a higher mortality risk associated with intentional self-harm and psychiatric diseases in the alopecia areata group, especially among adults aged 35 years or younger and those with alopecia totalis/universalis. Additionally, patients with alopecia totalis/universalis had a higher mortality risk from lung cancer, while mortality associated with diabetes mellitus was significantly lower in the alopecia areata group. The study suggests that clinicians should focus on the emotional and psychological well-being of patients with alopecia areata to improve outcomes.
