title: Alopecia Areata Progression Index, a Scoring System for Evaluating Overall Hair Loss Activity in Alopecia Areata Patients with Pigmented Hair: A Development and Reliability Assessment.
abstract: No scoring systems to evaluate overall hair loss activity in alopecia areata (AA) have been established.
  
  
  
  We sought to develop a measurement tool (Alopecia Areata Progression Index, AAPI) for the evaluation of overall hair loss activity in AA patients with pigmented hair.
  
  
  
  The scalp surface area was divided into 4 quadrants. In each quadrant, hair loss activity was scored on the basis of the percentage of alopecic area, clinical findings associated with hair loss. The AAPI was measured in 17 patients with different severities of AA.
  
  
  
  Interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities were assessed by 4 investigators. A significant correlation of the total AAPI was found among the 4 investigators. In addition, intraobserver reliability was excellent, and interobserver reliability was statistically reliable.
  
  
  
  The AAPI seems to represent a system capable of truly quantifying overall hair loss activity in AA patients with different severity, demonstrating trustworthy interobserver and intraobserver reliability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Hyun
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Sun Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Weon Ju
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seok-Jong
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Won Kee
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Byung Cheol
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyojin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Do Won
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D046169:Dermoscopy; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006200:Hair Color; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012535:Scalp / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult