Nail Involvement in Alopecia Areata: A Questionnaire-based Survey on Clinical Signs, Impact on Quality of Life and Review of the Literature

Authors

  • Yvonne B.M. Roest
  • Henriët van Middendorp
  • Andrea W.M. Evers
  • Peter C.M. van de Kerkhof
  • Marcel C. Pasch

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2340/00015555-2810

Keywords:

alopecia areata, quality of life, prevalence, nail disease, survey

Abstract

Alopecia areata (AA) is an immune-mediated disease causing temporary or permanent hair loss. Up to 46% of patients with AA also have nail involvement. The aim of this study was to determine the presence, types, and clinical implications of nail changes in patients with AA. This questionnaire-based survey evaluated 256 patients with AA. General demographic variables, specific nail changes, nail-related quality of life (QoL), and treatment history and need were evaluated. Prevalence of nail involvement in AA was 64.1%. The specific nail signs reported most frequently were pitting (29.7%, p?=?0.008) and trachyonychia (18.0%). Red spots on the lunula were less frequent (5.1%), but very specific for severe AA. Nail-related QoL was only minimally affected by nail changes. In conclusion, nail involvement is common in patients with AA and presents mostly with pitting and trachyonychia. The presence of these nail changes reflects the severity of the disease, with red spots on the lunula as a predictor for severe alopecia

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Published

2017-10-30

How to Cite

Roest, Y. B., van Middendorp, H., Evers, A. W., van de Kerkhof, P. C., & Pasch, M. C. (2017). Nail Involvement in Alopecia Areata: A Questionnaire-based Survey on Clinical Signs, Impact on Quality of Life and Review of the Literature. Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 98(2), 212–217. https://doi.org/10.2340/00015555-2810

Issue

Vol. 98 No. 2 (2018): February

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2017 Yvonne B.M. Roest, Henriët van Middendorp, Andrea W.M. Evers, Peter C.M. van de Kerkhof, Marcel C. Pasch

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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Unless otherwise specified, all Open Access articles are published under CC-BY-NC licences, allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for non-commercial purposes, provided proper attribution to the original work.

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