Comparison of Effectiveness of Weekly Azathioprine Pulse and Betamethasone Oral Mini Pulse in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Alopecia Areata

The document presents a study comparing the effectiveness of weekly azathioprine pulse (WAP) and betamethasone oral mini pulse (BOMP) in treating moderate to severe alopecia areata. Fifty patients were randomized to receive either azathioprine 300 mg once every week or betamethasone 5 mg on 2 consecutive days orally for 4 months, with a follow-up for the next 3 months. Twenty patients in the azathioprine group and 21 in the betamethasone group completed the study. Results showed that both treatments were equally effective in promoting significant hair regrowth and reducing the area of hair loss. However, the betamethasone group experienced more corticosteroid-induced side effects, while the azathioprine group had fewer and milder side effects, such as transient nausea. One patient in each group relapsed. The study concluded that WAP could be a potentially effective and safer alternative to BOMP for treating moderate to severe alopecia areata, but further studies are needed to confirm these results.