Dermoscopy of alopecia areata an observational study

Background: Alopecia areata is an immune-mediated T-cell attack on hair follicles, resulting in non scarring form of hair loss. It can range from mild, self-limited, focal alopecia to widespread, persistent, treatment-resistant alopecia. The present study was conducted to determine the association of dermoscopic findings with activity, severity, and clinical subtypes of alopecia areata. Objectives: To study various dermoscopic findings of alopecia areata and their relationship to alopecia areata disease activity and severity. To study various clinical patterns of alopecia areata and their relationship to dermoscopic findings. Material and Method: This was a hospital based cross-sectional study conducted in the outpatient department of Dermatology from May 2021 to June 2022 involving 100 patients with clinically diagnosed and untreated alopecia areata. Written informed consent was taken from all the enrolled patients and detailed history was obtained. Clinical pattern of alopecia areata was noted and dermoscopy using a non-contact, non-polarized digital dermoscope was done on all the patients. Chi-square test was applied to know the various associations. Results: Majority of patients belonged to 21-40 years of age. Male to female ratio was 2.70: 1. Mean duration of alopecia areata was 7.87 months. Majority of patients had progressive disease. Most common pattern of alopecia areata was patchy. Scalp was most commonly involved. Most of the patients had mild disease activity. Most common dermoscopic finding was black dots. Most common grade of alopecia areata was S1B0N0. Conclusion: No statistically significant association was seen between dermoscopic findings and clinical pattern , disease activity and severity of alopecia areata.