FRONTAL FIBROSING ALOPECIA: A CLINICAL REVIEW OF 20 BLACK PATIENTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA.
Case review from 2006-2012
We reviewed single-centre case notes and clinical pictures of patients presenting with a histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of FFA from 2006 to 2012 inclusive. A total of 44 patients were seen:20 had FFA only, and 24 had associated lichen planus pigmentosus5. This study will focus on the 20 patients with FFA only, 19(95%) female and 1 (5%) male, with their clinical data being summarised in Table 1. The age of onset ranged from 27 to 66 yrs, with a mean of 42 yrs. Most were African 19 (95%), with one (5%) female Indian patient. Fourteen of the 19 women (73%) were premenopausal. Only 1 (5%) patient had a positive family history, citing her mother and first cousin as being affected 6. FFA involved the frontotemporal region in all 20 cases (100%), while two of the patients had associated patchy LPP. Traction alopecia (TA) presented in the majority of African female patients 17/19 (85%) of whom 14 (70%) complained of hairline loss. Six (30%) had pruritus and one had pruritus and painful, tender pustules.