Dermatologists’ Perspectives and Real-World Assessment of Alopecia Areata Severity, Burden, and Healthcare Resource Utilization in Adults in the United Arab Emirates

INTRODUCTION: Alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disease, causes hair loss on the scalp, face, and body, with approximately 2% prevalence in the Middle East. AA is associated with significant impacts to patient quality of life (QoL). This study evaluated dermatologist perceptions and experiences treating AA in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as new targeted treatments became available, as well as patient disease burden and unmet treatment needs. METHODS: Data were from the Adelphi Real World AA Disease Specific Programme™ (September 2022-March 2023). Dermatologists rated statements on diagnosing and managing AA by agreeing or disagreeing and provided clinical and treatment information on one patient each with mild, moderate, and severe/very severe AA. Some of these patients completed questionnaires (Skindex-16, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-AA [WPAI-AA]). Results stratification included by percent scalp hair loss (SHL). RESULTS: Analyses included 53 dermatologists and 144 patients. Most dermatologists reported severe AA management was difficult because of lack of effective treatments. A median SHL of 61.0% was reported as typical of severe AA. The most frequently reported factor informing disease severity was impact of AA on QoL. Overall, 32.6% of patients had physician-assessed severe/very severe AA. Anxiety and depression rates were consistent across SHL categories. Patients with ≥ 21% SHL reported significantly higher impact of AA on QoL (mean Skindex-16 scores). Patients with ≥ 50% SHL reported higher presenteeism on the WPAI-AA. Almost all patients were currently receiving their first AA treatment; patients with ≥ 50% SHL received different treatments than those with < 50% SHL. Healthcare resource utilization and costs were lower among patients with < 50% SHL. CONCLUSIONS: In the UAE, impacts on patient QoL and the economic burden associated with AA are important factors to consider and may aid dermatologists in setting treatment goals and selecting therapies as newer targeted therapies emerge.