Existing off-label treatments for AA, including intralesional steroids for mild disease and topical and/or oral steroids for more severe cases, have limited effectiveness. However, there are currently no drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of AA, resulting in a large unmet medical need. Īlopecia areata often co-occurs with other autoimmune diseases and psychiatric disorders and can have serious impacts on patients’ quality of life and psychological well-being. AA is unpredictable, with spontaneous hair regrowth occurring in an estimated 34–50% of patients within the first year, though many will experience repeat episodes and can relapse at any time. Patients often have their first hair loss episode before the age of 40, but AA can occur at any age and has a lifetime risk of nearly 2% worldwide. Patients may progress from patchy AA to complete scalp hair loss (alopecia totalis) or complete body hair loss (alopecia universalis). Prevalent in about 0.21% of the US population, the disorder is heterogenous in severity and distribution and can affect any hair-bearing region of the body. Longitudinal data are needed to better understand treatment trajectories and the disease burden in patients with AA.Īlopecia areata (AA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder causing sudden, non-scarring hair loss. Healthcare costs incurred by patients with AA went beyond AA-related expenses. Current AA treatments, including systemic therapies other than oral steroids, were not frequently utilized in this study population. Patients with AA have a high comorbidity burden and lack of treatment. AA-related expenses were driven by outpatient and prescription costs. Of patients receiving treatment, 80.3% received topical steroids and 30.0% received oral steroids.
During the 12-month follow-up period, 37,995 patients (55.8%) were prescribed treatment for their AA or other comorbid autoimmune/inflammatory disease 44.9% of treated patients were prescribed therapy within 7 days of AA diagnosis. Comorbid autoimmune diseases included atopic dermatitis (2.8%), psoriasis (2.1%), chronic urticaria (1.5%), and rheumatoid arthritis (1.1%). The most common comorbidities included hyperlipidemia (22.4%), hypertension (21.8%), thyroid disorders (13.1%), contact dermatitis or eczema (10.8%), depression (9.5%), and anxiety (8.4%).
Mean (SD) age was 40.3 (17.8) years and 61.0% were female. ResultsĪ total of 68,121 patients with AA were identified.
Descriptive statistics were used to summarize comorbid conditions, treatments related to AA or other autoimmune/inflammatory conditions, and all-cause and AA-specific healthcare costs and resource utilization identified from claims data. Eligible patients had no other hair loss-related disorders and were continuously enrolled with medical and pharmacy benefits at least 12 months before and after AA diagnosis.
Patients diagnosed with AA between January 2011 and December 2018 were identified in IBM MarketScan ® Research Databases. This study assessed prevalence of comorbidities, treatments, and healthcare costs and resource utilization among patients with AA in the USA. There are currently no drugs approved for AA treatment. Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disorder causing sudden, non-scarring hair loss.
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