RESUMEN
Beard alopecia areata, or alopecia areata barbae, (BAA) is a subset of alopecia areata, a T-cell mediated inflammatory disease that disrupts the hair follicle cycle leading to early onset of catagen. The aim of this review is to help strengthen clinicians' skills in the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of BAA. We performed a literature review according to the modified PRISMA guidelines, using a combination of relevant key words in electronic databases. According to the data from the 25 articles on BAA reviewed here, BAA mostly affects middle-aged men (mean age 31 years) who typically experience patchy hair loss in the neck region, which spreads to the scalp within 12 months. Similar to AA, BAA is associated with autoimmune diseases such as H. pylori and thyroiditis; however, BAA has no clear genetic pattern of inheritance which is observed in alopecia areata. Common dermoscopic findings in BAA include vellus white hairs and exclamation mark hairs, which may help distinguish it from other pathologies affecting facial hair. In clinical trials, the ALBAS tool offers clinicians an objective metric to evaluate BAA severity. Until recently, topical steroids have been the mainstay therapy; however, topical and oral janus kinase inhibitors are achieving improved results, with up to 75% beard regrowth in an average of 12 months.
RESUMEN
This year's Women Deliver conference made a strong call for investing in the health and development of adolescents and young people. It highlighted the unique problems faced by adolescent girls and young women-some of the most vulnerable and neglected individuals in the world-and stressed the importance of addressing their needs and rights, not only for their individual benefit, but also to achieve global goals such as reducing maternal mortality and HIV infection.In response to an invitation from the editors of Reproductive Health, we-the sixteen coauthors of this commentary-put together key themes that reverberated throughout the conference, on the health and development needs of adolescents and young people, and promising solutions to meet them.1. Investing in adolescents and young people is crucial for ensuring health, creating prosperity and fulfilling human rights.2. Gender inequality contributes to many health and social problems. Adolescent girls and boys, and their families and communities, should be challenged and supported to change inequitable gender norms.- Child marriage utterly disempowers girls. It is one of the most devastating manifestations of gender discrimination.- Negative social and cultural attitudes towards menstruation constrain the lives of millions of girls. This may well establish the foundation for lifelong discomfort felt by girls about their bodies and reticence in seeking help when problems arise.3. Adolescents need comprehensive, accurate and developmentally appropriate sexuality education. This will provide the bedrock for attitude formation and decision making.4. Adolescent-centered health services can prevent sexual and reproductive health problems and detect and treat them if and when they occur.5. National governments have the authority and the responsibility to address social and cultural barriers to the provision of sexual and reproductive health education and services for adolescents and young people.6. Adolescents should be involved more meaningfully in national and local actions intended to meet their needs and respond to their problems.7. The time to act is now. We know more now than ever before about the health and development needs of adolescents and young people, as well as the solutions to meeting those needs.
