Comprehensive clinical pattern of Alopecia Areata in patients referred to skin clinics in Kerman province from June 2000 to June 2002

Background: Alopecia areata has a wide range of different clinical presentations. It may present as localized or diffuse hair thinness without hair loss, a small patch of hair loss or may progress to alopecia totalis and universalis. Objectives: Determination of clinical patterns of alopecia areata in Kerman province and to compare the results with other studies in other countries. Patients and Methods: 952 patients with alopecia areata out of 25186 new cases referred to skin clinics in Kerman from June 2000 till June 2002 were evaluated for age, sex, family history of alopecia areata, extent of hair loss and history of infectious diseases. Results: 3.78% of all new cases referred to skin clinics suffered from alopecia areata. The male to female ratio was 2.6 to 1 and the most frequent clinical presentation of alopecia was round to oval type. Hair loss was confined to the scalp in 252 cases (26.5%). 216 cases (22.7%) had body hair loss without scalp alopecia, and 484 patients (50.8%) developed a combination of scalp and body hair loss. The combination pattern was significantly more frequent in the first three decades of life. Conclusion: Alopecia areata has a relatively high prevalence in Kerman province. It involves both scalp and body in the majority of cases especially in the first three decades of life.