Trichotillomania is chronic obsessive compulsive disease with a diagnostic hair loss patterns

Abstract

Research Article AJODRR (2020) 3:17 Trichotillomania is chronic obsessive compulsive disease with a diagnostic hair loss patterns Background: Trichotillomania (TTM) is a common cause of childhood alopecia. It's a traumatic alopecia and is defined as the irresistible urge to pull out the hair, accompanied by a sense of relief after the hair has been plucked. The condition maybe episodic and the chronic type is difficult to treat. There seem to be an increase in the prevalence of the condition probably due to the changing life style into a more stressful one. Objective: To do full evaluation of this disease and description of hair loss patterns. Patients and methods: In this descriptive study, we collected patients with trichotillomania who had attended department of dermatology, college of medicine, university of Baghdad, Baghdad teaching hospital during the period from 2011 through 2019 where114 cases of TTM were seen. The diagnosis was established on clinical basis after exclusion of other dermatological diseases and medical problems.Full history was taken from each patient including demographic data, presence of stressful life event as a triggering factor. Psycholgical assessment was carried out for each patient by experienced dermatologist as psychiatric referral was refused by all patients and their families.Full description of patterns of hair loss was carried out after exclusion of other causes of hair loss especially alopecia areata. Results: A total of 114 patients diagnosed with TTM were enrolled in this study,88 (77.19%) patients were females and 26 (22.8%) males with female to male ratio: 3.38:1. Age of patients ranged from 6-65 years with a median age of 16 years with the commonest age range between 10-19 years in 64(56.14%) patients.While the duration of the condition ranged from 3 months to 4 years.