Bone Mineral Density in Patients with Alopecia Areata Treated with Long-Term Intralesional Corticosteroids
February 2013
in “
PubMed
”
TLDR Patients treated with long-term intralesional corticosteroids for alopecia areata should be monitored for bone density changes and advised on osteoporosis prevention.
The study evaluated bone mineral density (BMD) in 18 patients with patchy alopecia areata treated with intralesional triamcinolone acetonide for at least 20 months. Using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), it was found that 50% of the patients had abnormal BMD results. Risk factors for abnormal BMD included age over 50, low body mass index, lack of weight-bearing exercise, smoking, postmenopausal status, past stress fractures, family history of osteopenia or osteoporosis, and a cumulative corticosteroid dose over 500 mg. The study concluded that patients undergoing this treatment should be counseled on osteoporosis prevention and monitored for BMD changes.