STRESS AND ALOPECIA-AREATA - A PSYCHODERMATOLOGIC STUDY

Psychosocial stress has been reported to play a role in the onset and/ or exacerbation of alopecia areata. Little is known about the clinical characteristics of alopecia areata patients whose alopecia is stress- reactive. We examined the relation between the stress reactivity of al opecia areata and a wide range of psychosocial measures among 16 patie nts with alopecia areata/ totalis and 28 patients with alopecia univer salis. The degree to which the alopecia was exacerbated by stress was measured by patient ratings on a 10-point scale. A wide range of psych ologic measures correlated (p<0.05) with the stress reactivity score. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that patients with high er depression scores were more likely to be in the high-stress reactor group. Patients whose alopecia is stress-reactive may suffer from dep ressive illness, a potentially important consideration in the overall management of such patients.