Impact of psychosocial profile on alopecia areata in pediatric patients: A case control study from a tertiary care hospital in Eastern Uttar Pradesh
Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common form of nonscarring alopecia characterized by patchy loss of hair from the scalp and body. It is a complex outcome of factors such as autoimmunity, genetic factors, infectious diseases, as well as psychological factors, such as stress, personality type, f...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Indian Journal of Dermatology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.e-ijd.org/article.asp?issn=0019-5154;year=2020;volume=65;issue=3;spage=183;epage=186;aulast=Saraswat |
| _version_ | 1818038528754319360 |
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| author | Neerja Saraswat Pooja Shankar Ajay Chopra Sushil Kumar Debdeep Mitra Reetu Agarwal |
| author_facet | Neerja Saraswat Pooja Shankar Ajay Chopra Sushil Kumar Debdeep Mitra Reetu Agarwal |
| author_sort | Neerja Saraswat |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common form of nonscarring alopecia characterized by patchy loss of hair from the scalp and body. It is a complex outcome of factors such as autoimmunity, genetic factors, infectious diseases, as well as psychological factors, such as stress, personality type, familial conditions. Around 20% of patients are in the pediatric age group, and 60% of the patients develop AA before the age of 20 years. Aim: The present study looked into the impact of psychosocial factors in AA. Materials and Methods: This was a case-control study conducted over a period of 1 year. One hundred and two patients and age and gender-matched control group between the ages of 2 and 14 years were included. A questionnaire was administered to identify the stress arising due to personal or familial conditions, school-related issues, psychotrauma or illness, and accidents prior to developing AA. Age and gender-matched patients with other dermatoses with low psychosomatic component to it and unlikely to be influenced by stress were selected as control. Result: Fifty-three patients (52 %) were male and 49 were female (48 %). Fifty-five (53.9%) patients were in the age group of 10 to 14 years. Forty (39.2%) children had multiple patches. Onset was <5 months in 30 patients (29.4%). Forty-nine (48%) children reported stress due to school-related issues compared to 13 (12.7%) in the control group. Eighteen (17.6%) children had familial issues compared to 6 (0.05%) in the control group. Nineteen children (18.6%) had multiple stressors. Sixty-nine (67.6%) patients related their disease to a stress component compared to 33 (32.3%) who could not relate to any stress. A significant association was noted between examination pressure and academic performance with onset of AA compared to control (P < 0.05%), which was stronger among female compared to male. Conclusion: The psychological profile and comorbidities have a significant impact on the onset or recidivism of AA. Impact of a stressful personal or family life, parental pressure to perform better in school, and psychological vulnerability can significantly contribute to the onset or exacerbation of AA. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T07:44:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ffda5cdad6bc4cf2811a6f0eb33ee2de |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0019-5154 1998-3611 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T07:44:11Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Indian Journal of Dermatology |
| spelling | doaj.art-ffda5cdad6bc4cf2811a6f0eb33ee2de2022-12-22T01:57:14ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndian Journal of Dermatology0019-51541998-36112020-01-0165318318610.4103/ijd.IJD_378_18Impact of psychosocial profile on alopecia areata in pediatric patients: A case control study from a tertiary care hospital in Eastern Uttar PradeshNeerja SaraswatPooja ShankarAjay ChopraSushil KumarDebdeep MitraReetu AgarwalBackground: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common form of nonscarring alopecia characterized by patchy loss of hair from the scalp and body. It is a complex outcome of factors such as autoimmunity, genetic factors, infectious diseases, as well as psychological factors, such as stress, personality type, familial conditions. Around 20% of patients are in the pediatric age group, and 60% of the patients develop AA before the age of 20 years. Aim: The present study looked into the impact of psychosocial factors in AA. Materials and Methods: This was a case-control study conducted over a period of 1 year. One hundred and two patients and age and gender-matched control group between the ages of 2 and 14 years were included. A questionnaire was administered to identify the stress arising due to personal or familial conditions, school-related issues, psychotrauma or illness, and accidents prior to developing AA. Age and gender-matched patients with other dermatoses with low psychosomatic component to it and unlikely to be influenced by stress were selected as control. Result: Fifty-three patients (52 %) were male and 49 were female (48 %). Fifty-five (53.9%) patients were in the age group of 10 to 14 years. Forty (39.2%) children had multiple patches. Onset was <5 months in 30 patients (29.4%). Forty-nine (48%) children reported stress due to school-related issues compared to 13 (12.7%) in the control group. Eighteen (17.6%) children had familial issues compared to 6 (0.05%) in the control group. Nineteen children (18.6%) had multiple stressors. Sixty-nine (67.6%) patients related their disease to a stress component compared to 33 (32.3%) who could not relate to any stress. A significant association was noted between examination pressure and academic performance with onset of AA compared to control (P < 0.05%), which was stronger among female compared to male. Conclusion: The psychological profile and comorbidities have a significant impact on the onset or recidivism of AA. Impact of a stressful personal or family life, parental pressure to perform better in school, and psychological vulnerability can significantly contribute to the onset or exacerbation of AA.http://www.e-ijd.org/article.asp?issn=0019-5154;year=2020;volume=65;issue=3;spage=183;epage=186;aulast=Saraswatalopecia areatapediatric psychosocial disorderspsychosocial impactpsychotherapystress |
| spellingShingle | Neerja Saraswat Pooja Shankar Ajay Chopra Sushil Kumar Debdeep Mitra Reetu Agarwal Impact of psychosocial profile on alopecia areata in pediatric patients: A case control study from a tertiary care hospital in Eastern Uttar Pradesh Indian Journal of Dermatology alopecia areata pediatric psychosocial disorders psychosocial impact psychotherapy stress |
| title | Impact of psychosocial profile on alopecia areata in pediatric patients: A case control study from a tertiary care hospital in Eastern Uttar Pradesh |
| title_full | Impact of psychosocial profile on alopecia areata in pediatric patients: A case control study from a tertiary care hospital in Eastern Uttar Pradesh |
| title_fullStr | Impact of psychosocial profile on alopecia areata in pediatric patients: A case control study from a tertiary care hospital in Eastern Uttar Pradesh |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of psychosocial profile on alopecia areata in pediatric patients: A case control study from a tertiary care hospital in Eastern Uttar Pradesh |
| title_short | Impact of psychosocial profile on alopecia areata in pediatric patients: A case control study from a tertiary care hospital in Eastern Uttar Pradesh |
| title_sort | impact of psychosocial profile on alopecia areata in pediatric patients a case control study from a tertiary care hospital in eastern uttar pradesh |
| topic | alopecia areata pediatric psychosocial disorders psychosocial impact psychotherapy stress |
| url | http://www.e-ijd.org/article.asp?issn=0019-5154;year=2020;volume=65;issue=3;spage=183;epage=186;aulast=Saraswat |
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