To the Editor: Alopecia areata is the most prevalent human autoimmune disease.1 Hair follicle inflammation produces disfiguring circular patches of hair loss or total alopecia. Suicidal ideation is considered to be uncommon among people with alopecia areata.2 In 2011, there were four deaths of young Australian males affected by alopecia areata that were recorded by the coroner as suicide: two aged 14 years from Victoria, one aged 16 years from Queensland and one aged 17 years from Western Australia.
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- 1. Petukhova L, Duvic M, Hordinsky M, et al. Genome-wide association study in alopecia areata implicates both innate and adaptive immunity. Nature 2010; 466: 113-117.
- 2. Gupta MA, Gupta AK. Depression and suicidal ideation in dermatology patients with acne, alopecia areata, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Br J Dermatol 1998; 139: 846-850.
- 3. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Causes of death, Australia, 2011. Canberra: ABS, 2013. (ABS Cat. No. 3303.0.) http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3303.0Appendix 12011?opendocument&tabname=Notes& prodno=3303.0&issue=2011&num=&view= (accessed Nov 2013).
- 4. Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation Inc. Welcome to AAAF. http://www.aaaf.org.au/index.php?page=alopecia-areata-registry (accessed Nov 2013).
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Acknowledgement: I thank Chel Campbell, President of the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation, for alerting me to the cases.
No relevant disclosures.