Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: An Update.

In this review, we discuss recent developments in our understanding of frontal fibrosing alopecia, a disease that has become increasingly common and widespread since its first description in 1994. An inherited predisposition to frontal fibrosing alopecia, previously suspected from the occurrence of familial cases, has been confirmed through genetic studies. Nevertheless, the epidemiology continues to implicate environmental factors in the aetiology.

Lifetime incidence and healthcare disparities in alopecia areata: a UK population-based cohort study.

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an immune-mediated form of hair loss that can occur at any age, often with a significant mental health burden.

Objectives: We aimed to provide estimates of the lifetime incidence of AA, and the impacts on mental health, healthcare utilization and work-related outcomes, assessing variation across major sociodemographic subgroups.

Methods: AA cases were identified in primary care from the UK population-based Oxford-Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre database (2009-2018).

The Alopecia Areata Severity and Morbidity Index (ASAMI) Study: Results From a Global Expert Consensus Exercise on Determinants of Alopecia Areata Severity.

Importance: Current measures of alopecia areata (AA) severity, such as the Severity of Alopecia Tool score, do not adequately capture overall disease impact.

Objective: To explore factors associated with AA severity beyond scalp hair loss, and to support the development of the Alopecia Areata Severity and Morbidity Index (ASAMI).

Evidence Review: A total of 74 hair and scalp disorder specialists from multiple continents were invited to participate in an eDelphi project consisting of 3 survey rounds.

Establishing the financial burden of alopecia areata and its predictors.

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) can have a significant impact on wellbeing. Consequently, individuals with AA often seek treatments or products to promote hair regrowth or camouflage their hair loss that incur a financial cost to the individual.

Objectives: The current study aimed to examine the direct financial burden of AA to understand the wider impact of the condition and the factors which influence spending on products and services.

The psychology and policy of overcoming economic inequality.

Recent arguments claim that behavioral science has focused - to its detriment - on the individual over the system when construing behavioral interventions. In this commentary, we argue that tackling economic inequality using both framings in tandem is invaluable. By studying individuals who have overcome inequality, "positive deviants," and the system limitations they navigate, we offer potentially greater policy solutions.

The persistence of cognitive biases in financial decisions across economic groups.

While economic inequality continues to rise within countries, efforts to address it have been largely ineffective, particularly those involving behavioral approaches. It is often implied but not tested that choice patterns among low-income individuals may be a factor impeding behavioral interventions aimed at improving upward economic mobility. To test this, we assessed rates of ten cognitive biases across nearly 5000 participants from 27 countries.

Male pattern hair loss: Can developmental origins explain the pattern?

Male pattern hair loss (MPHL), also referred to as male androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of non-scarring progressive hair loss, with 80% of men suffering from this condition in their lifetime. In MPHL, the hair line recedes to a specific part of the scalp which cannot be accurately predicted. Hair is lost from the front, vertex, and the crown, yet temporal and occipital follicles remain.

Chronic Telogen Effluvium: Is it a Distinct Condition? A Systematic Review.

Background: Whilst there are several recognised explanations for persistent telogen-phase hair loss, for a proportion of cases, no clear underlying cause can be identified. These cases have been given the diagnostic label chronic telogen effluvium: a poorly characterised condition where there is legitimate uncertainty as to whether it represents a truly distinct disorder.

Objective: The aim of this review was to evaluate published cases of purported chronic telogen effluvium and how strongly they support its existence as a distinct disorder.

Alopecia areata and risk of common infections: a population-based cohort study.

Background: It is not known whether alopecia areata (AA) is associated with a greater or reduced risk for infection.

Aim: We undertook a population-based study exploring associations between AA and common infections.

Methods: We extracted primary care records from the UK Oxford-Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre database (trial registration: NCT04239521).

The associated burden of mental health conditions in alopecia areata: a population-based study in UK primary care.

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common cause of nonscarring hair loss that can have a profound psychological impact.

Objectives: To assess the co-occurrence of depression and anxiety in adults with AA compared with the general population, and to evaluate the mental health treatment burden and impact on time off work and unemployment.

Methods: In total, 5435 people with newly diagnosed AA in UK primary care were identified from the Oxford Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre network database, and matched to 21 740 controls.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia: survey of severity assessment methods in routine clinical practice and validation of the International Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Cooperative Group measurement guidance.

Background: The lack of validated and responsive outcome measures in the management of frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) significantly limits assessment of disease progression and treatment response over time.

Aim: To understand how FFA extent and progression is currently assessed in UK specialist centres, to validate components of the International FFA Cooperative Group (IFFACG) statement on FFA assessment, and to identify pragmatic advice to improve FFA management in clinic.

Methods: Consultant dermatologists with a specialist interest in hair loss (n = 17) were invited to take part.

Epidemiology, management and the associated burden of mental health illness, atopic and autoimmune conditions, and common infections in alopecia areata: protocol for an observational study series.

Introduction: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common cause of immune-mediated non-scarring hair loss. Links between AA and common mental health, autoimmune and atopic conditions, and common infections have previously been described but remain incompletely elucidated and contemporary descriptions of the epidemiology of AA in the UK are lacking.

Methods And Analysis: Retrospective study series using a large population-based cohort (5.

The epidemiology of alopecia areata: a population-based cohort study in UK primary care.

Background: There is a lack of population-based information on the disease burden and management of alopecia areata (AA).

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of AA, focusing on incidence, demographics and patterns of healthcare utilization.

Methods: Population-based cohort study of 4·16 million adults and children, using UK electronic primary care records from the Oxford-Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC) network database, 2009-2018.

Guidelines for clinical trials of frontal fibrosing alopecia: consensus recommendations from the International FFA Cooperative Group (IFFACG).

Background: Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) has become one of the most common causes of cicatricial alopecia worldwide. However, there is a lack of clear aetiology and robust clinical trial evidence for the efficacy and safety of agents currently used for treatment.

Objectives: To enable data to be collected worldwide on FFA using common criteria and assessment methods.

Shedding light on therapeutics in alopecia and their relevance to COVID-19.

As of July 9, 2020, there were more than 12 million confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across the globe, with more than 550,000 deaths. Many European countries, including Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain, have had the highest numbers of fatalities per capita. This indicates the potential for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus to overwhelm even the most advanced health care systems despite extreme societal interventions.

A Global eDelphi Exercise to Identify Core Domains and Domain Items for the Development of a Global Registry of Alopecia Areata Disease Severity and Treatment Safety (GRASS).

Importance: A recent expert consensus exercise emphasized the importance of developing a global network of patient registries for alopecia areata to redress the paucity of comparable, real-world data regarding the effectiveness and safety of existing and emerging therapies for alopecia areata.

Objective: To generate core domains and domain items for a global network of alopecia areata patient registries.

Evidence Review: Sixty-six participants, representing physicians, patient organizations, scientists, the pharmaceutical industry, and pharmacoeconomic experts, participated in a 3-round eDelphi process, culminating in a face-to-face meeting at the World Congress of Dermatology, Milan, Italy, June 14, 2019.

The Alopecia Areata Consensus of Experts (ACE) study part II: Results of an international expert opinion on diagnosis and laboratory evaluation for alopecia areata.

Background: We previously reported the Alopecia Areata Consensus of Experts study, which presented results of an international expert opinion on treatments for alopecia areata.

Objective: To report the results of the Alopecia Areata Consensus of Experts international expert opinion on diagnosis and laboratory evaluation for alopecia areata.

Methods: Fifty hair experts from 5 continents were invited to participate in a 3-round Delphi process.

The Alopecia Areata Consensus of Experts (ACE) study: Results of an international expert opinion on treatments for alopecia areata.

Background: A systematic review failed to identify any systemic therapy used in alopecia areata (AA) where use is supported by robust evidence from high-quality randomized controlled trials.

Objective: To produce an international consensus statement on the use and utility of various treatments for AA.

Methods: Fifty hair experts from 5 continents were invited to participate in a 3-round Delphi process.

Autosomal-dominant hypotrichosis with woolly hair: Novel gene locus on chromosome 4q35.1-q35.2.

Hypotrichosis simplex (HS) with and without woolly hair (WH) comprises a group of rare, monogenic disorders of hair loss. Patients present with a diffuse loss of scalp and/or body hair, which usually begins in early childhood and progresses into adulthood. Some of the patients also show hair that is tightly curled.

Correction: Alopecia areata patients show deficiency of FOXP3+CD39+ T regulatory cells and clonotypic restriction of Treg TCRβ-chain, which highlights the immunopathological aspect of the disease.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.