Pedram Alirezaei1, Mohammad Ahmadpanah2, Aliasghar Rezanejad1, Alireza Soltanian3, Dena Sadeghi Bahmani4,5,6,7, Serge Brand8,9,10,11. 1. Psoriasis Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences (HUMS), Hamadan, Iran. 2. Research Center for Behavioral Disorders and Substance Abuse, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences (HUMS), Hamadan, Iran. 3. Department of Biostatistics, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences (HUMS), Hamadan, Iran. 4. Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders (ZASS), Psychiatric Clinics (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. 5. Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center, Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah, Iran. 6. Sleep Disorders Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah, Iran. 7. Neurosciences Research Center, Alzahra Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. 8. Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders (ZASS), Psychiatric Clinics (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, serge.brand@upkbs.ch. 9. Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center, Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah, Iran, serge.brand@upkbs.ch. 10. Sleep Disorders Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah, Iran, serge.brand@upkbs.ch. 11. Division of Sport Science and Psychosocial Health, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, serge.brand@upkbs.ch.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Individuals with lichen planopilaris (LPP) typically present with hair loss and an irritated scalp, with signs and symptoms such as itching, erythema, scaling, and burning. Both hair loss and reddened skin may be visible also for other people. Therefore, it is conceivable that individuals with LPP might report a lower mental health status. Accordingly, in the present study, we compared dimensions of mental health between individuals with LPP and healthy controls. METHOD: A total of 38 individuals with LPP (mean age: 38.24 years, 47.4% females) and 58 gender- and age-matched controls took part in this study. They completed questionnaires covering dimensions of quality of life and self-esteem; experts rated participants' symptoms of depression and anxiety. Furthermore, dermatologists reported on the illness duration, the LPP activity index, and the severity of alopecia. RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls, individuals with LPP reported lower scores of self-esteem, physical functioning, and mental health and higher scores of role limitations (physical and emotional). Likewise, experts rated higher depression scores in individuals with LPP compared to controls. In individuals with LPP, a higher LPP disease activity and a higher severity of hair loss were associated with higher depression and lower quality-of-life scores. Further, a higher LPP activity index, a lower self-esteem, and higher anxiety scores predicted a poorer quality of life, while illness duration was statistically unrelated. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to controls, and irrespectively of the illness duration, individuals with LPP reported a lower quality of life and a lower self-esteem, and experts' ratings observed higher scores of depression. Experts treating individuals with LPP might pay special attention to the individuals' mental health status.
BACKGROUND: Individuals with lichen planopilaris (LPP) typically present with hair loss and an irritated scalp, with signs and symptoms such as itching, erythema, scaling, and burning. Both hair loss and reddened skin may be visible also for other people. Therefore, it is conceivable that individuals with LPP might report a lower mental health status. Accordingly, in the present study, we compared dimensions of mental health between individuals with LPP and healthy controls. METHOD: A total of 38 individuals with LPP (mean age: 38.24 years, 47.4% females) and 58 gender- and age-matched controls took part in this study. They completed questionnaires covering dimensions of quality of life and self-esteem; experts rated participants' symptoms of depression and anxiety. Furthermore, dermatologists reported on the illness duration, the LPP activity index, and the severity of alopecia. RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls, individuals with LPP reported lower scores of self-esteem, physical functioning, and mental health and higher scores of role limitations (physical and emotional). Likewise, experts rated higher depression scores in individuals with LPP compared to controls. In individuals with LPP, a higher LPP disease activity and a higher severity of hair loss were associated with higher depression and lower quality-of-life scores. Further, a higher LPP activity index, a lower self-esteem, and higher anxiety scores predicted a poorer quality of life, while illness duration was statistically unrelated. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to controls, and irrespectively of the illness duration, individuals with LPP reported a lower quality of life and a lower self-esteem, and experts' ratings observed higher scores of depression. Experts treating individuals with LPP might pay special attention to the individuals' mental health status.
Authors: Eddy H C Wang; Isha Monga; Brigitte N Sallee; James C Chen; Alexa R Abdelaziz; Rolando Perez-Lorenzo; Lindsey A Bordone; Angela M Christiano Journal: PNAS Nexus Date: 2022-07-11