Brigham Eyebrow Tool for Alopecia: A Reliable Assessment of Eyebrow Alopecia Areata. Journal Article

Local Library Link: Find It @ Loyola

Authors: Tkachenko, E; Huang, KP; Ko, JM; Liu, KJ; Scott, DA; Senna, MM; Li, SJ; Joyce, CJ; Mostaghimi, A
Article Title: Brigham Eyebrow Tool for Alopecia: A Reliable Assessment of Eyebrow Alopecia Areata.
Abstract: There are no tools to evaluate eyebrow involvement in patients with alopecia areata. We developed and assessed the reliability of the Brigham Eyebrow Tool for Alopecia (BETA) as a quantitative evaluation of eyebrow alopecia areata. BETA uses facial landmarks of eyebrow anatomy and is calculated using surface area and density. A total of 50 eyebrow images with varying levels of hair loss were distributed to six board-certified dermatologists at three academic medical centers with standardized instructions and examples. Interrater and intrarater reliability were calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). BETA demonstrated high interrater (ICC = 0.88, confidence interval = 0.83-0.92 right eyebrow scores and ICC = 0.90, confidence interval = 0.85-0.94 left eyebrow scores) and intrarater (ICC = 0.90, confidence interval = 0.85-0.93 right eyebrow scores and ICC = 0.91, confidence interval = 0.87-0.94 left eyebrow scores) reliability. When measured in the same patient with varying degrees of hair loss over time, BETA demonstrated sensitivity to change. BETA is a simple and reliable objective assessment of eyebrow alopecia areata. BETA is easy-to-use and quick to calculate, making it feasible for a variety of clinical and research settings. Although developed for alopecia areata, we hope that BETA will be investigated in other etiologies of eyebrow alopecia to serve as a universal tool for monitoring disease progression, improvement, and response to treatment.
Journal Title: The journal of investigative dermatology. Symposium proceedings
Publisher: Unknown  
Date Published: 2020