Reliability of Histopathology for the Early Recognition of Fibrosis in Traction Alopecia: Correlation with Clinical Severity

June 2019 in “ Dermatopathology ”

Reginald M Ngwanya, Henry Ademola Adeola, Renée A. Beach, Nomphelo Gantsho, Christopher L. Walker, Komala Pillay, Robert Prokopetz, Freedom Gumedze, Nonhlanhla P. Khumalo

traction alopecia fibrosis histopathology perifollicular fibrosis interfollicular fibrosis extruded hair shafts sebaceous glands

TLDR Histopathology is not reliable for detecting early fibrosis in traction alopecia or for showing how severe it is.

The study investigated the reliability of histopathological grading for detecting early fibrosis in traction alopecia (TA) and its correlation with clinical severity in 45 patients. It found that histopathology was unreliable for early fibrosis recognition in TA, as evidenced by poor agreement among dermatopathologists, with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.55 for perifollicular fibrosis and 0.01 for interfollicular fibrosis, showing no correlation with clinical severity scores. Despite good agreement on the identification of extruded hair shafts and the presence of sebaceous glands, the study concluded that better diagnostic methods are needed due to the poor correlation between histopathological assessment and clinical grading of fibrosis in TA.

View this study on karger.com →

Discuss this study in the Community →

Cited in this study

10 / 10 results

research A Practical Approach to the Diagnosis and Management of Hair Loss in Children and Adolescents

40 citations , July 2017 in “Frontiers in Medicine”

Early and personalized treatment for hair loss in young people is crucial to prevent permanent damage and should include psychological support.

research Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia: Challenges and Solutions

37 citations , August 2016 in “Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology”

The document concludes that better treatments for CCCA are needed and more research is required to understand its causes related to hairstyling and genetics.

research Black Women's Hair: The Main Scalp Dermatoses and Aesthetic Practices in Women of African Ethnicity

32 citations , August 2015 in “Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia”

Black women's unique hair characteristics and styling practices can lead to specific scalp conditions, which require early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

research Histologic Features of Alopecias–Part I: Nonscarring Alopecias

13 citations , April 2015 in “Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas”

The document concludes that recognizing specific histological features of different nonscarring alopecias is crucial for accurate diagnosis and understanding hair loss progression.

research An Overview of Alopecias

53 citations , March 2014 in “Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine”

The document explains different types of hair loss, their causes, and treatments, and suggests future research areas.

research Elastin Staining Patterns in Primary Cicatricial Alopecia

30 citations , November 2013 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Elastin staining helps assess late-stage scarring alopecia but is not definitive, and clinical diagnosis is still crucial.

research Clinical and Histological Challenge in the Differential Diagnosis of Diffuse Alopecia: Female Androgenetic Alopecia, Telogen Effluvium and Alopecia Areata – Part I

29 citations , November 2012 in “Anais Brasileiros De Dermatologia”

Diagnosing hair loss disorders needs clinical, dermoscopic, and histological differences, and checking menstrual cycle, weight changes, drug therapy, and nail changes.

research Diagnosing and Treating Hair Loss

36 citations , August 2009 in “PubMed”

The review suggests seeing a dermatologist for scarring hair loss and using treatments like minoxidil or finasteride for common male and female pattern hair loss.

research Determinants of Marginal Traction Alopecia in African Girls and Women

94 citations , September 2008 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Traction alopecia is more common in African women than girls, especially when traction is applied to chemically relaxed hair; avoiding such hairstyles may reduce the risk.

research Traction Alopecia: 2% Topical Minoxidil Shows Promise. Report of Two Cases

40 citations , March 2007 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology”

Minoxidil helps hair regrowth in traction alopecia.

8 / 8 results

research The Changing Patterns of Hair Density and Thickness in South Korean Women with Hair Loss: Clinical Office-Based Phototrichogram Analysis

41 citations , December 2008 in “International Journal of Dermatology”

South Korean women with hair loss have lower hair density and thickness compared to healthy women.

research Hair Diseases

28 citations , September 1998 in “Medical Clinics of North America”

Most hair loss can be diagnosed with patient history and physical exam, and a few common types make up most cases.

research Androgenetic Alopecia, Trichotrophic Substances, and Histologic Studies of the Human Scalp

5 citations , October 1988 in “Clinics in Dermatology”

Minoxidil promotes hair growth but exact mechanism is unknown.