Comparative Efficacy and Adverse Clinical Events of Methotrexate Versus Azathioprine with Steroid Mini Pulse Therapy in the Management of Moderate to Severe Alopecia Areata: A Tertiary Centre Based Interventional Study

This study compared the efficacy and adverse events of azathioprine versus methotrexate, both combined with steroid minipulse therapy, in treating moderate to severe alopecia areata over 6 months. Conducted at Dhulikhel Hospital, it involved 36 patients, with 20 in the azathioprine group and 16 in the methotrexate group. Both treatments significantly improved SALT scores, but methotrexate with steroid minipulse therapy showed slightly higher efficacy (89.01% hair regrowth) compared to azathioprine with steroid minipulse therapy (79.2% hair regrowth).