Scalp Hair Regrowth Is Associated With Improvements in Health-Related Quality of Life and Psychological Symptoms in Patients With Severe Alopecia Areata: Results From Two Randomized Controlled Trials

This post hoc analysis of two phase-3 trials involving 1200 patients with severe alopecia areata (AA) found that those with meaningful scalp hair regrowth (SALT score ≤20) at Week 36 experienced significantly greater improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and reductions in anxiety and depression compared to those with no/minimal regrowth. Specifically, 46.8% of patients with meaningful regrowth shifted from abnormal to normal anxiety scores, and 52.3% shifted from abnormal to normal depression scores, compared to 26.4% and 24.0%, respectively, in the no/minimal regrowth group. Intermediate regrowth also led to improvements, but to a lesser extent. These findings suggest that achieving meaningful hair regrowth can significantly enhance the psychological well-being and quality of life in patients with severe AA.