Characterizing the willingness to undergo treatment in patients with alopecia areata.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that results in partial or total balding of the scalp and/or body. Treatments available are minimally effective, have severe side effects, and are often painful. Given these burdens, patients may not feel undergoing treatment is worthwhile. The purpose of this study is to characterize the willingness of patients with alopecia areata to undergo treatment. We found that few patients are willing to undergo treatment at the risk of severe health side effects. The most acceptable form of treatment administration was topical and the least acceptable was injection at the site of hair loss. A majority of patients would only undergo treatment for hair growth that is cosmetically acceptable and the most important site of hair regrowth was the scalp. The willingness to undergo treatment differed significantly by gender, age, time since disease onset, and disease severity. This study offers insight into the preferences of patients with alopecia areata and characteristics that would make treatment widely acceptable. Institutions conducting research on treatment for alopecia areata can use the results of this study to better understand the needs of their target population.