Quality of Life and Economic Burden Assessment in Korean Patients with Male and Female Pattern Hair Loss

In 2015, a study was conducted on 204 Korean patients (114 men and 90 women) with pattern hair loss (PHL) to investigate their medical and non-medical expenditure, and its relationship with their quality of life (QoL) and the clinical severity of their hair loss. The study found that the average monthly expenditure, expenses as a percentage of income, subjective economic burden, and QoL were significantly correlated. However, there was no significant difference in actual expenditure, subjective economic burden, or QoL among the groups classified by the clinical severity of hair loss. The study concluded that the socio-psychological stress of hair loss, rather than its clinical severity, could motivate patients to pay more for treatment. It also found individual differences in subjective severity of hair loss and the degree of acceptance, which were associated with actual expenditure and QoL.