Investigation of Hair Diseases Accompanying Bitemporal Alopecia: An Observational Cross-Sectional Study

Bitemporal alopecia may occur in association with various hair diseases. However, it has not yet been officially classified as a distinct type of alopecia. This study aimed to identify hair diseases that commonly accompany bitemporal hair loss and to evaluate the clinicodemographic characteristics of affected patients.

This study included 86 patients aged ≥18 years with bitemporal alopecia. Clinicodemographic characteristics and concomitant hair diseases were recorded. The severity of bitemporal alopecia was classified into three categories: mild, moderate, and severe.

The mean age of the patients was 36.2±15.7 years. Of the participants, 58.1% were female and 41.9% were male. Most patients were in the 18-24 (29.1%) and 25-34 (25.6%) age groups. A positive hair pull test was observed in 45 patients. Bitemporal alopecia was classified as mild in 22 patients (25.6%), moderate in 40 patients (46.5%), and severe in 24 patients (27.9%). Hair diseases accompanying bitemporal alopecia included androgenetic alopecia (n=57, 66.3%), seborrheic dermatitis (n=38, 44.2%), telogen effluvium (n=29, 33.7%), traction alopecia (n=11, 12.8%), lichen planopilaris (n=5, 5.8%), alopecia areata (n=3, 3.5%), frontal fibrosing alopecia (n=2, 2.3%), and anagen effluvium (n=1, 1.2%). The most frequent coexisting conditions were androgenetic alopecia (25.6%), androgenetic alopecia with seborrheic dermatitis (25.6%), seborrheic dermatitis with telogen effluvium (9.3%), androgenetic alopecia with telogen effluvium (8.1%), seborrheic dermatitis with telogen effluvium and traction alopecia (5.8%), and other combinations.

Bitemporal alopecia may serve as a potential predictive indicator for the diagnosis and follow-up of associated hair diseases.