Psychological Impact of Alopecia Areata on Egyptian Patients

Alopecia occupies an important place in psychiatric comorbidity and may be associated with anxiety, stress and depression. Psychiatric problems are more common in patients with alopecia than in healthy individuals. This study aimed to assess the psychological impact of Alopecia Areata (AA) among Egyptian patients by using the Arabic version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42). Patients and methods: A total of 100 Egyptian patients with AA were randomly recruited from the outpatient clinics of the department of dermatology of Assiut University Hospital (AUH). The SALT score used to assess the severity of AA. Patients were asked to describe the impact of AA on their life by filling in the Arabic version of DASS-42. Results: 71% of the AA patients were males and 29% were females, 93% were educated either higher education 46% or lower education 47%. The patients of AA who had depression were 90 patients (26% with extreme depression, 22% with severe depression, 29% with moderate depression and 13% with mild depression). Also, anxiety was present in 85% of patients (38% with extreme anxiety, 24% with severe anxiety, 18% with moderate anxiety and 5% with mild anxiety). Regarding stress, it was present in 95% of patients (35% with extreme stress, 23% with severe stress, 32% with moderate stress and 5% with mild stress). Conclusion: Our study may serve as a stimulus to dermatologists to improve the relationships with their patients and re-evaluate their management of AA and put in consideration the psychological management that can help to improve the clinical outcomes in Egyptian patients with AA.