Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Mar-Apr;67(2):127-132.
doi: 10.4103/ijd.ijd_577_21.

Role of Trichoscopy in Evaluation of Alopecia Areata: A Study in a Tertiary Care Referral Centre in the Eastern India

Vineet K Sahu  1 , Adrija Datta  2 , Tanusree Sarkar  3 , Tirthankar Gayen  2 , Gobinda Chatterjee  2
Affiliations

Role of Trichoscopy in Evaluation of Alopecia Areata: A Study in a Tertiary Care Referral Centre in the Eastern India

Vineet K Sahu et al. Indian J Dermatol. 2022 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Background: Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder affecting the hair-bearing sites of the body. Trichoscopy has recently been practiced in the diagnosis of alopecia areata.

Aim: To elicit trichoscopy patterns in alopecia areata and to find out any correlation of trichoscopic findings with disease severity.

Methods: Trichoscopy was done on clinically diagnosed cases of alopecia areata and on age and sex-matched controls without hair disorders by using a DL1 dermoscope (magnification: ×10). Observed dermoscopic findings were analyzed to find the correlation with disease severity.

Results: In total, 87 cases and 60 controls were included in the study with the mean age for cases being 25.47 ± 14.07 years. There was male predominance of cases (51; 58.62%). Alopecia in multiple patches was the most common type (42; 48.27%), and scalp was the most common site of involvement (79; 90.8%). Yellow dots (YD), black dots (BD), broken hairs (BH), circle hair (CH), and tapering hairs (TH) or exclamation hair (EH) were found to be statistically significant findings in alopecia areata as compared to controls. Circle hair was significantly associated with total severity of alopecia areata (P = 0.041). Yellow dots had a positive correlation with the number of episodes of alopecia areata (Spearman's rho = 0.273, P = 0.0106) and mean severity of alopecia tool (SALT) score (P = 0.0130). No significant association was noted between trichoscopic findings and disease activity, family history, disease associations, or nail involvement.

Conclusion: A constellation of trichoscopic findings helps in establishing the diagnosis of alopecia areata obviating the need for biopsy.

Keywords: Alopecia areata; circle hair; severity of alopecia tool score; trichoscopy; yellow dots.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Yellow dots (yellow arrow), black dots (black arrow), broken hair (green arrow), exclamation hair (blue arrow) (×10)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Circle hair (red arrow) (×10)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Yellow dots (yellow arrow), black dots (black arrow), tapering hair (pink arrow) (×10)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Yellow dots (yellow arrow), black dots (black arrow), short vellus hair (orange arrow) (×10)
Figure 5
Figure 5
Predominant yellow dots in a patient with recurrent episodes alopecia areata (×10)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Norris D. Alopecia areata: Current state of knowledge. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2004;51:16–7. - PubMed
    1. Martinez-Mir A, Zlotogorski A, Ott J, Gordon D, Christiano AM. Genetic linkage studies in alopecia areata. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2003;8:199–203. - PubMed
    1. Kossgard S, Zagarella S. Spotted cicatricial alopecia in dark skin. A dermoscopic clue to fibrous tracts. Australas J Dermatol. 1993;34:49–51. - PubMed
    1. Mane M, Nath AK, Thappa DM. Utility of dermoscopy in alopecia areata. Indian J Dermatol. 2011;56:407–11. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kowalska-Oledzka E, Slowinska M, Rakowska A. Sensitivity and specificity of the trichoscopy. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2012;78:636–7. - PubMed