Investigation of fibromyalgia syndrome in patients WİTH alopecia areata

Background and Aim: Alopecia areata (AA); It is autoimmune hair disease that can affect the whole body and does not cause scarring. Fibromyalgia syndrome is a disease that characterized by chronic widespread pain, sleep problems, physical fatigue and cognitive problems. In this study, it was aimed to determine whether there is fibromyalgia syndrome in patients with AA. The data obtained in the study; It was aimed to determine whether there is a relationship with the severity, duration and pattern of the disease. Methods: Our study was designed as a prospective and case-control study. 37 patients with AA and 37 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals were included in the study as the control group. Disease patterns of AA patients; Fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria and the number of tender points detected in the examination were evaluated for all patients included in our study in the AA group and control group. All patients in two groups; Beck Depression Inventory, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form, Visual Analogue Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaires were performed face to face. Results: In the AA group, the age at onset of AA (mean±SD) was 26.6±9.7 years, the number of episode repetitions was 1.62±0.99, and the time elapsed from the first episode was 3.4±6.1 years. The most frequently involved area was the scalp (n=31; 83.8%). When the patient and control groups were compared, it was determined that patients with AA had a significantly higher rate of fibromyalgia syndrome (AA group n=15, 40.5% and control group n=7, 18.9%) and high fibromyalgia impact questionnaire scores (p=0.042 and p=0.006, respectively). VAS (Morning) and VAS (Max) scores were found to be significantly higher in the patient group (p=0.042 and p=0.025, respectively), Beck Depression scores were significantly higher in the AA patient group (p=0.023). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of sleep quality and physical activity (p>0.05). As a result of the ROC analysis, it was shown that a Beck Depression score above 13.5% could detect the presence of fibromyalgia with a sensitivity of 66.7% and a specificity of 68.2% (AUC=0.774; p=0.005). Conclusion: As a result of our study, it was seen that the frequency of fibromyalgia syndrome increased in patients with alopecia areata and it was necessary to suspect fibromyalgia in all alopecia patients regardless of Beck Depression score. However, since the frequency of fibromyalgia was much higher in alopecia patients with a high Beck Depression score, it was concluded that these patients should be evaluated in terms of fibromyalgia. Key Words: Alopecia Areata, Depression, Fibromyalgia Syndrome