Table 2.
Social and financial-related evidence for cumulative life course impairment
| Reference | Study type | Patients | Assessment Tool | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social and financial | ||||
| Aghaei et al. (2014)[45] | Case-control study | 40 AA patients 40 age-and sex-matched controls |
Beck Depression Inventory Beck Anxiety Inventory Eysenck Personality Questionnaire |
There was a significant difference in educational level between AA patients and controls (P=0.001), revealing that AA group had a lower level of education |
| Li et al. (2018)[46] | Cross-sectional survey study | 81 patients with AA | Online survey distributed to NAAF patient database | Women had a decreased sexual QOL with mean Sexual QOL-Female score of 51.3±22.9Men had a decreased sexual quality of life with mean Sexual QOL-male score of 62.7±33.9 (higher scores indicate greater sexual quality of life) |
| Christensen et al. (2017)[47] | Cross-sectional questionnaire study | 69 patients with AA and their parents | Frequency and type of bullying reported | 18% elementary school children had been bullied at least once, while 13% middle school-aged children and 40% of high school and college-aged adolescents were bullied Boys experienced more frequent bullying, including physical bullying (P=0.04) |
| Díaz-Atienza and Gurpegui (2011)[48] | Case-controlled interview and questionnaire study | 31 AA patients (7-19 y/o) 23 children with epilepsy 25 healthy sibling controls |
Interview on childhood development (with parent), personality questionnaires, family climate questionnaires, blood and urine analysis | 29% of AA patients had perceived financial difficulties as compared to 9% epilepsy 42% of AA patients from single-parent family as compared to 9% epilepsy (P=0.007) |
| Kacar et al. (2016)[40] | Cross-sectional survey study | 40 patients with AA 42 patients with MD |
28-items modified stigmatization questionnaire | Probability of reported “anticipation of rejection” (P=0.02) “sensitivity to the opinions of others” (P<0.001) “feeling of being flawed” (P<0.01) were significantly greater in AA patients than patients with a mental disorder |
QOL – Quality of life; NAAF – National Alopecia Areata Foundation; AA – Alopecia areata