Diagnoses of alopecia since 2019 (FOI)

​​​​​​Request

A

Please advise how many people in Jersey have been treated for alopecia and what age bracket do they fall into, 0-9 years, 10-19years, 20-29years, 30-39years and so forth, since 2019 to date.

​B

​Please advise how many people are known to live with alopecia in Jersey in 2024? 

C

Please confirm if there an alopecia specialist based at Jersey General Hospital.

D

If the answer to question C is no, please provide the details of how patients with alopecia receive medical support.

Response

A and B

Health and Community Services (HCS) do not hold data for the number of people diagnosed with and / or treated for alopecia in Jersey. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

Most of the support for those with alopecia is provided by General Practitioners (GPs) and not all those suffering with the condition will seek treatment. GP services in Jersey are private businesses and, as such, their data is not held by Health and Community Services. 

Alopecia areata is a relatively common condition with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 1000 people and a lifetime incidence of approximately 2%. Point prevalence at any year is estimated at 0.58% of adults.

C

There is no dedicated alopecia specialist for Jersey General Hospital.

D

As noted in response to questions A and B, most support is provided by GPs.

As per the British Association of Dermatologists “An overriding consideration in the management of alopecia areata is that, although the disease may have a serious psychological effect, it has no direct impact on general health that justifies the use of hazardous treatments, particularly of unproven efficacy.” 

British Association of Dermatologists’ guidelines for the management of alopecia areata 2012 (onlinelibrary.wiley.com)​

According to these guidelines, leaving alopecia areata untreated is a legitimate option, with spontaneous remission occurring in up to 80% of patients with limited patchy hair loss of short duration. The prognosis in longstanding extensive alopecia is poor. A number of treatments can induce hair growth in alopecia areata, but none has been shown to alter the long-term course of the disease, and a 2008 Cochrane review of seventeen trials concluded that, overall, none of the interventions for alopecia showed significant treatment benefit in terms of hair growth when compared with placebo.

Article applied

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.​