The Impact of Psychosocial Stress on Quality of Life in Saudi Arabian Patients with Alopecia Areata

Introduction:

Hair loss is the main symptom of Alopecia areata (AA), which is caused by an autoimmune process. The pathophysiology of this disease is frequently debated; the most prevalent topics are factors related to the environment, non-specific immune responses, organ-specific autoimmune reactions, and genetic background. Furthermore, psychiatric comorbidities such as depression, anxiety, social phobia, and personality problems are very common among AA patients. Alopecia areata, which affects 0.2% of people globally, causes non-scarring hair loss. There is no obvious gender preference, and the typical age of onset is 33 years. Unpredictability exists in the disease's progression. 34-50% of patients will demonstrate spontaneous recovery 1 year after the disease's beginning, according to earlier research. According to other research, up to 80% of patients would make a full recovery after a year; however, 15-25% of patients would lose all of their body and/or head hair, and fewer than 10% of these patients would make a full recovery. Patients with dermatological conditions are far more likely to have psychiatric diseases. It has been estimated that 25% to 43% of patients visiting dermatological clinics have psychological illnesses. Studies have indicated that people with alopecia are more likely to experience psychological disorders throughout their lifespan, such as severe depression (39%) and generalized anxiety disorder (39%). Looking at the literature, research done in Makkah revealed that a considerable 79.6% of participants said that AA had a detrimental impact on one's psychological well-being. Anxiety (47.9%), depression (36.0%), and feeling criticized in front of others (63.0%) were the most prevalent psychological effects of AA. Furthermore, a study by " Abideen F" showed that in 70% of cases, the quality of life measured by the DLQI score was affected, and a history of stress was associated with 28 of the 60 patients with AA, and 17 of them suffered from psychiatric illness. Another study was done by Suchana et al (2020), aimed to investigate depression and anxiety in patients with alopecia areata, According to the study's results, anxiety and depression were both common in 75 individuals, with respective prevalence rates of 66.7% and 73.3%. Due to insignificant number of published studies that focus on the psychosocial impact of alopecia areata among patients in Saudi Arabia, Consequently, exploring this area of study is highly recommended. This study aims to assess the psychosocial impact on quality of life in individuals with alopecia areata in Saudi Arabia

Materials and Methods:

Study design: This study was a cross-sectional questionnaire survey, based on a structured questionnaire that was developed by the authors, conducted among Alopecia areata patients in Saudi Arabia.

Study setting: Participants, recruitment, and sampling procedure: This study population consisted of Alopecia areata patients in Saudi Arabia of both genders from October 2023 - March 2024.