Incidence of alopecia and hair loss among female active component service members, 2010-2022

This study aimed to determine the incidence of hair loss among U.S. active component service women, describe the types of hair loss, and summarize potential racial and ethnic disparities of hair loss among service women over the last 12 years. Estimates of traction alopecia among service members have been difficult, as there are no specific diagnosis codes for traction alopecia in the International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th revisions (ICD-9/ICD-10). A prior study on the prevalence of alopecia among female active component service women between 2010 and 2019 reported that 2.7% had traction alopecia diagnoses. That estimate may not be accurate, as the previous study used the ICD-9 code 704.01 (alopecia areata) and ICD-10 code Q84.0 (congenital alopecia), which are not fully representative of traction alopecia cases in administrative health records. This study used ICD-9/ICD-10 diagnostic codes 704.0 (ICD-9), L63, L64, L65, and L66 (ICD-10) to define cases of alopecia. The study population included female active component service members in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2022. The overall incidence rate of alopecia was 804.4 per 100,000 person-years. Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic female active component service members had the highest incidence rates among all races and ethnicities, at 1,138.7 and 1,013.6 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Non-Hispanic Black female active component service members were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with alopecia compared to non-Hispanic White female active component service members.