Publication:

Clinical and dermoscopic patterns of childhood alopecia areata in a tertiary care centre in North India

Background To describe the clinico epidemiologic profile and dermoscopic findings in children with alopecia areata (AA) and correlate the dermoscopic findings with stage and severity.

Methods The present study was performed over a period of six months, from July 2020 to December 2020 in a tertiary care hospital where 50 clinically diagnosed children ≤15 years with AA were enrolled. A thorough clinical examination followed by dermoscopy was performed. The results were tabulated and then analyzed statistically.

Results The mean age of presentation was 9.74 years. The most common site involved was scalp and the most common dermoscopic findings were yellow dots (25/50, 50%), short vellus hair (22/50, 44%), black dots (21/50, 42%), exclamation mark hair (15/50, 30%) and broken hair (11/50, 22%).

Conclusions No significant associations was found between dermoscopic findings and severity or stage of childhood alopecia areata. There was a significant correlation of alopecia areata severity with nail findings in children with alopecia areata.