Patient Profiles, Treatment Approaches, and Disease Burden in Alopecia Areata in Mexico: Secondary Analysis of the Adelphi Real World Disease-Specific Programme

By
Luis E. Sanchez-Duenas
Ashley S. Cha-Silva
Peter Anderson
Martha Alicia Aceves-Villalvazo
Veronica J. Guajardo-Barron
Carlos A. Barrera-Ochoa
Raul A. Becerra-Cerecedo
Jorge Alberto Barragan Garfias
William Jones
Samantha K. Kurosky
Nelly A. Espinoza-Gonzalez
October 7, 2026

Dermatology And Therapy

Overview

This secondary analysis of the Adelphi Real World AA II Mexico Disease Specific Programme characterized disease burden and treatment patterns among Mexican adults with alopecia areata (AA). Greater physician-assessed severity was associated with more extensive hair loss, worse quality of life, and higher anxiety and depression levels; conventional treatments predominated, while advanced therapies were infrequently used.

Background

AA is an autoimmune disorder that causes nonscarring hair loss and can affect the scalp, face, and body. It is associated with psychological distress and adverse effects on emotional well-being and health-related quality of life. Mexican guidance issued in 2013 recommended corticosteroids and other conventional options, while JAK inhibitors have since been approved in Mexico for severe AA. The source describes limited access to advanced and some conventional therapies in Latin America, including because public healthcare systems do not routinely reimburse them, and notes sparse real-world evidence on AA in Mexico.

Data Highlights

The supplied article excerpt provides no numerical results for the Mexican study population. It reports that disease burden increased with physician-assessed severity, conventional therapies—especially corticosteroids—were the main treatments across severity groups, and advanced therapies were infrequently used.

Key Findings

The study used linked cross-sectional physician and patient surveys, with retrospective data collection, from the Adelphi Real World AA II Mexico DSP; data were collected in Mexico from October 2024 to April 2025.
Patients with moderate to very severe AA had more extensive scalp and nonscalp hair loss than those with milder disease.
Greater severity was associated with worse quality of life and higher anxiety and depression levels.
Conventional therapies, particularly corticosteroids, predominated across severity categories.
Advanced therapies were infrequently used, including among patients with severe or very severe AA.
Patients with severe or very severe AA reported lower treatment satisfaction than patients with mild or moderate disease. The article context identifies limited access and reimbursement as potential barriers, rather than reporting a measured causal association.

Clinical Implications

The study authors identify high disease burden, low treatment satisfaction in severe or very severe AA, and infrequent use of advanced therapies as evidence of unmet treatment needs in Mexico. The source also describes access and reimbursement limitations as potential barriers; it does not establish their causal contribution to the observed treatment patterns.

Conclusion

In this Mexican real-world analysis, greater AA severity was accompanied by greater clinical and psychosocial burden, while treatment remained centered on conventional therapies. The authors report substantial unmet treatment needs, particularly in the context of infrequent advanced therapy use and lower satisfaction among patients with severe or very severe disease.