Life quality and its influence factors in 107 cases of alopecia areata

Objective To evaluate the quality of life in cases of alopecia areata and explore its influence factors. Methods Questionnaires were done in 107 cases of alopecia areata and 102 control cases with DLQI and SF-36. Results The DLQI scores in alopecia group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The SF-36 scores in alopecia group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Vitality, social function and emotional function may influence the result. Stepwise regression analysis showed duration of disease, hair loss area and the recurrence was statistically significant in the regression equation,with positive correlation with DLQI and negative correalation with SF-36. Conclusion Alopecia areata reduces the quality of life. Early treatments are essential for relieving patients from psychologically devastating effects. The DLQI and SF-36 are good evaluation methods for evaluation of quality of life in cases of alopecia areata.. As the duration is longer, the area of hair loss becomes larger, DLQI in recurrent cases is higher and SF-36 lower, that is, the quality of life is worse.