Increased Risk of Suicide Attempt in Patients with Alopecia Areata: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: There is growing evidence that patients with alopecia areata (AA) have an increased risk of developing psychiatric comorbidities. However, the relationship between AA and suicidal behaviors remains unclear. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between AA and suicidal behaviors. Methods: Participants were recruited from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan, including 10,515 patients with AA and 10,5150 matched controls, to assess the risk of suicide attempts. A Cox regression model was used for all analyses. Results: Compared with the controls, an increased risk of suicide attempts was observed in patients with AA, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 6.28 (95% confidence interval, 4.47–8.81). Suicide risk remained significantly elevated in AA patients when stratified by underlying psychiatric disorders. The mean age of initial suicidal behaviors was also lower in patients with AA. Conclusions: Patients with AA had a significantly higher incidence of suicidal attempts than controls, regardless of concurrent psychiatric illness. Further studies are needed to elucidate the pathophysiology of the association between AA and suicidality. In addition, dermatologists should be aware of the increased suicidality of patients with AA.