Pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) is a chronic inflammatory condition of hair follicles characterized by inflamed papules and pustules, with increased risk in individuals with curly or coarse hair. While psychiatric comorbidities in acne are well studied, limited research exists on PFB’s psychological impact. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of individuals with PFB using the All of Us dataset, which includes EHR data from U.S. adults since 2018. A total of N=1668 individuals were included in the matched dataset, with 834 PFB cases and 834 controls and were assessed for diagnosis of ADHD, OCD, MDD, and GAD. Association between the presence of ADHD and PFB was significant (p-value=0.009). Similarly, the presence of GAD (23% of PFB patients and 10 % of patients without PFB) and MDD (48.4% of PFB patients and 26.3 % of patients without PFB) was significantly associated with the presence of PFB (p-value<0.001 for both conditions). However, OCD was found not to be significantly associated with the presence of PFB (p=0.15). Our study demonstrated a significant association between PFB and mood disorders like depression or anxiety. Future studies should examine PFB severity and treatment efficacy on psychological outcomes.
Olagun-Samuel et al. (Fri,) studied this question.