Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background and Design: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common cause of non-cicatricial hair loss on the scalp or hearing-bearing areas, and diagnosis is typically straightforward.In atypical cases, histopathological examination is suggested.This study aims to determine when dermatologists need histopathological confirmation in AA and which clinical and trichoscopic clues aid diagnosis in atypical cases. Materials and Methods:Patients diagnosed with AA clinically and histopathologically were retrospectively included in the study.Age, gender, duration of disease, localizations of lesions, number of lesions, trichoscopy features, initial diagnosis, extra-scalp involvement, and nail characteristics were recorded.Results: 10 (7.3%) of 137 patients had histopathologic examinations.The mean age of patients was 37.9 (±14.68).Five of the ten patients (50%) were male, and five were female.The mean disease duration was 48.7 (±74.55)months.All the patients suffered from their first episode.Patchy AA (n=9, 39.5%) and cicatricial alopecia (n=7, 30.4%) were the two most frequent initial diagnoses.Loss of follicle ostia (n=7), vellus hairs (n=7), anisotrichosis (n=5), yellow dots (n=5), and erythematous background (n=4) were the five most prevalent features.Only one of the patients (10%) has extra-scalp involvement.Two patients have nail features.Conclusion: We assume that some unexpected trichoscopy features, such as loss of follicle ostium and vellus hair, can be observed in cases with long disease duration, whereas typical trichoscopy features, such as exclamation mark hairs, yellow dots, and black dots, are not always detected in these patients.In some challenging cases, the diagnosis may require histopathological confirmation.
Source: TURKDERM
Authors: Güldehan Atış, Ayşenur Şam Sarı
Language: English
Topic: Hair Growth and Disorders
Subfield: Urology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4409238964