Diagnosis and Management of Alopecia Areata: A Saudi Expert Consensus Statement (2023).

Alopecia areata (AA) is a complex autoimmune disease manifesting as a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by non-scarring patches of hair loss over the face, scalp, and body. Several treatments have been proposed for AA, but none are curative nor achieve a state of remission. The present consensus statement aims to present the evidence- and experience-based recommendations on the diagnosis and management of AA in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has opted to initiate a meeting of a multidisciplinary group to discuss and concede on this topic. Eight dermatology experts and clinical pharmacists convened in eight consensus meetings. All content presented in this document was agreed upon by this working group, including diagnosis and severity assessment, prognostic indicators, and therapeutic options for AA. Special consideration was given to special patient populations including pediatric patients and patients with less frequent presentations of AA. Updates of the current recommendations will take place as new evidence evolves in the treatment of AA.

Seborrheic Dermatitis-Like Eruption Induced by Isotretinoin: A Case Report.

Isotretinoin has received widespread medical attention for the management of moderate to severe acne vulgaris. It has been associated with various dermatological side effects, particularly dryness and cheilitis. To our knowledge, only one study has provided evidence of isotretinoin-induced seborrheic dermatitis-like eruptions. In addition, other adverse effects of isotretinoin have been documented in the literature, such as angioedema and urticaria. Here, we present the case of an 18-year-old female with severely scarred acne vulgaris who developed a seborrheic dermatitis-like eruption shortly after starting isotretinoin. Two months after stopping the causative drug and adhering to the topical treatment, the patient showed full resolution.​​`This case led to the conclusion that using isotretinoin may have unanticipated serious side effects. It is crucial to identify this complication to prevent misdiagnosis and to appropriately and promptly treat the patient's condition.

Evaluation of the Awareness, Beliefs, and Psychological Impact of Patients with Alopecia Areata in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients diagnosed with AA at different hospitals. A total of 211 patients were included in the investigation between November 2021 and June 2022. The participants were subjected to a well-structured, Arabic-based, validated questionnaire. Results: More than half of the patients were men (54.0%) and single (50.7%). The most common age groups were 30 to 44 years (46.9%) and 18 to 29 years (36.0%). More than two-thirds of the participants (67.8%) had heard of AA before their diagnosis. Of these, the level of knowledge was low among 36.4%, medium among 42.0%, and high among 21.7%. Most of the patients believed that AA may be caused by genetic, nutritional, or health factors (77.3%) and that it is a serious health problem that necessitates treatment (64.0%). The most common psychological attributes caused by AA are feeling ashamed in front of other individuals (63.0%), anxiety (47.9%), and depression (36.0%). Conclusion: Our results show more than two-thirds of the participants were knowledgeable about AA. Most believed that the cause of AA is genetic, nutritional, or health factors and suffered negative psychological effects. According to our study, high levels of anxiety and depression are closely associated with AA patients, which affect their quality of life.

Prevalence of Hair Loss After COVID-19 Infection in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a worldwide pandemic with the most main symptoms seeming to be flu-like and fever. Besides that, dermatological manifestations have been reported as extra respiratory symptoms in previous studies. The aim of this study is to measure the prevalence of hair loss after COVID-19 infection in Saudi Arabia, and we hope to improve the knowledge on hair loss - a cause of common dermatological consultation that frequently becomes a stressful event associated with the pandemic - among all the physicians in all the specialties. Methodology This was a record-based retrospective cross-sectional, multicenter study conducted in four centers in the Makkah region. We identified 343 patients who visited the dermatology clinic for hair loss during the period 2020 to 2022. Results Evidence suggests that hair loss had been the most frequently reported post COVID-19 manifestation (48%). Our results revealed nearly half of the participants (48.5%) noticed hair loss increases by more than 120 hairs per day after COVID-19 infection, as well as half of the participants (52.6%) reported seeing hair accumulation on a pillow. Our results showed that telogen effluvium (TE) was the most reported type (156, 86.7%), followed by alopecia areata (15, 8.3%) and androgenic alopecia (9, 5.0%). Conclusion The results suggest that hair loss is noticeably prevalent in patients following COVID-19 infection, especially in females and patients with multiple comorbidities. Telogen effluvium (TE) was the most prevalent type of hair loss recognized among the patients.

Saudi consensus statement on biologic treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis (2020).

Psoriasis is a common chronic and complex inflammatory skin disease that affects over 125 million people worldwide. Management of psoriasis in daily clinical practice in Saudi Arabia is variable. Local preferences for management differ, which may have a bearing on the treatment selection. Biologic therapy is now a well-established strategy for managing moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. There is a clear need for national consensus statements due to the extended role and high availability of literature on these agents. As a result of an initiative of the Ministry of Health, a multidisciplinary expert panel of dermatologists and pharmacists with practical experience in the clinical management of psoriasis were invited to be part of a work group to update the previous practical guidelines on the biologic treatment of psoriasis published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2014. The overall aim of this consensus document is to deliver evidence-based recommendations on the use, screening, and monitoring of biologic therapy in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. These recommendations also address the use of biologic therapy in special patient populations. They were developed after rigorous evaluation of existing international guidelines as well as the latest emerging evidence. Updates of the present consensus document will be provided as needed to incorporate new data or agents.