Practice Question Answers
1. A 40-year-old woman presents to the clinic with a burning sensation and tenderness on the scalp. At physical examination you notice erythematous papules and pustules on the vertex scalp. The most likely diagnosis is:
a. alopecia areata
b. CCSA
c. folliculitis decalvans
d. lichen planopilaris
e. traction alopecia
2. A 60-year-old woman presents with receding hair loss on the frontal and bitemporal scalp. She has noticed hair loss on her eyebrows. She has a history of oral ulcers. On physical examination there is mild erythema and perifollicular scales on the frontal hairline. A hair pull test is positive in this area. The most likely diagnosis is:
a. androgenetic alopecia
b. chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus
c. frontal fibrosing alopecia
d. telogen effluvium
e. trichotillomania
3. A 5-year-old girl with a history of seasonal allergies and eczema presents with recurrent patchy hair loss on the scalp of 6 months’ duration. Her mother has noticed rapidly progressive hair loss affecting the whole scalp. On trichoscopy, you find yellow dots, broken hairs, and tapering hairs. The most likely diagnosis is:
a. alopecia areata
b. androgenetic alopecia
c. telogen effluvium
d. traction alopecia
e. trichotillomania
4. A 30-year-old white woman with history of obsessive-compulsive disorder presents to the clinic with hair loss for the last 3 years. She says she has noticed worsening of the hair loss when she is under stress. She also bites her nails. On physical examination you identify an irregular patch of alopecia with broken hairs on the occipital scalp. The most likely diagnosis is:
a. alopecia areata
b. androgenetic alopecia
c. lichen planopilaris
d. traction alopecia
e. trichotillomania
5. A 45-year-old black woman who has a family history of hair loss in her mother presents with tenderness and burning sensation on the vertex scalp. She reports the hair loss was worse after she got a hair relaxer 6 months prior. She uses braids on her scalp and she has not had a relaxer since then. The most likely diagnosis is:
a. CCSA
b. chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus
c. folliculitis decalvans
d. lichen planopilaris
e. trichotillomania