Evaluation of the demographic characteristics and the factors related to eyebrow involvement in frontal fibrosing alopecia: A retrospective, cross-sectional, single center study

Abstract

Objective: Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is a rare subtype of primary cicatricial alopecia leading to the gradual recession of the frontotemporal hairline. Eyebrow and facial hair alopecia commonly accompany the scalp hair loss. The usual FFA patient is a postmenopausal female. The most common comorbid diseases in FFA patients are thyroid diseases. In this retrospective, cross sectional study, we aimed to determine the demographic characteristics of the patients with FFA, prevelance of eyebrow involvement and the factors that are associated with eyebrow involvement at the time of evaluation. Material and Methods: A total of 16 patients who were diagnosed with FFA at our department from January 2010 to January 2020 were enrolled in this study. Demographic features and histopathological data were collected from medical records in our Hair Disorders Policlinic .The statistical analysis was performed with the SPSS-21. Results: A total of 16 patients were included in this study. All of the patients were females. Eyebrow loss was observed in 12 (75%) of our patients. The age of the patients had no statistically significant relationship to the eyebrow involvement (p=0.666). Likewise, there is no statistically significant relationship of disease duration to eyebrow involvement (p=0.668). Eyebrow involvement was also more common (75%) in patients who have comorbidity. Conclusion: Similar to the literature, FFA was found to be more common in postmenopausal female patients in our study. There was no statistically significant relationship between eyebrow loss and the duration of the disease or the age of the patient, but it was striking that the frequency of eyebrow involvement was more common in patients with comorbidities. These data obtained from our study have not been reported in the literature before, and larger patient series are needed to explain the relationship more clearly.