The global burden of disease associated with alopecia areata

C.K. and L.N.B. are joint first authors. Funding sources: The Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 was supported in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Conflicts of interest: L.N.B., D.A.N., M.A.W., C.A.D., J.P.L., A.W.A. and R.P.D. are employees of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had no role in the design and execution of the study. Any opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Dear Editor, Alopecia areata is characterized by episodes of nonscarring hair loss that vary in duration (from self‐resolving to permanent) and distribution (focal to total body). These episodes may result in substantial psychological morbidity and negatively influence quality of life.1 Data regarding the epidemiology and global burden of disease due to alopecia areata are scarce. However, the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study has recently described the disability burden of skin disease worldwide.2