Prevalence of Pediatric Alopecia Areata Among 572,617 Dermatology Patients

The study analyzed the prevalence of pediatric alopecia areata (AA) among 572,617 dermatology patients, identifying 656 pediatric cases (0.1% of all patients and 0.9% of pediatric patients). Girls were more affected than boys, with a ratio of 1.25:1. The prevalence peaked at age 12 for boys and age 9 for girls. The study estimated that approximately 54,000 pediatric AA patients visited dermatology offices annually in the U.S., with pediatric patients comprising 18.1% of all AA cases. On average, one pediatric AA patient appeared for treatment every 2.4 months in a typical dermatology practice.