The Effect of Oral Cyclosporine in the Treatment of Severe Alopecia Areata

This study evaluated the efficacy of oral cyclosporine in treating severe alopecia areata (AA) in 25 male patients with a mean age of 21.92 years. Patients were treated with 2.5–6 mg/kg/day doses of oral cyclosporine for 2–12 months. Significant hair growth was observed in 10 out of 22 patients (45.4%) who completed the treatment. The study found that patients with a disease duration of less than four years responded better to the treatment, with six out of nine showing significant hair growth, compared to only four out of 13 patients with a longer disease duration. The study concluded that oral cyclosporine could be a beneficial treatment for severe AA, with disease duration being a crucial prognostic factor.