Trends in Prevalence and Incidence of Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis, and Alopecia Universalis Among Adults and Children in a US Employer-Sponsored Insured Population
March 2023
in “
JAMA Dermatology
”
New to Alopecia Areata? There is a guide in the encyclopedia. Read the guide → Studysummary This study reported that the prevalence of alopecia areata in the US slightly increased from 0.199% to 0.222% between 2016 and 2019, with higher rates observed in women and adults. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
This cohort study examined the prevalence and incidence of alopecia areata (AA), alopecia totalis (AT), and alopecia universalis (AU) in a US employer-sponsored insured population from 2016 to 2019, using data from over 25 million patients annually. The study found a slight increase in the prevalence of AA from 0.199% to 0.222% and AT/AU from 0.012% to 0.019%, with AA incidence ranging from 87.39 to 92.90 cases per 100,000 person-years. Higher rates were observed among females, adults, and individuals in the Northeast. The study highlights the need for further research to understand subpopulation differences and suggests a growing burden of AA and AT/AU, possibly due to increased healthcare-seeking behavior and new treatment approvals.
