Alopecia areata in children: a clinical profile

Alopecia areata (AA) is prevalent among children in Kuwait. In this prospective survey we studied 215 children with AA to determine their clinical and epidemiologic features. Ninety-seven percent of the children were of Arab ancestry. Girls outnumbered boys by a 2.5:1 ratio. The peak age of onset was seen between 2 and 6 years of age with a mean age of onset at 5.7 +/- 2.8 years. A majority of the patients (80.5%) had mild disease and extensive disease (more than 50% hair loss) was seen in 13% of the children. A positive family history of AA was obtained in 51.6% of cases and nail changes were seen in 26.5% of the children. The age of onset, a positive family history of AA, and associated atopic disorders were observed to have no influence on the extent and severity of the disease. The results were compared with those reported elsewhere for this age group.