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.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jisp.2020.06.001

View details for PubMedID 33099383