A Comparison of the Efficacy, Relapse Rate, and Side Effects Among Three Modalities of Systemic Corticosteroid Therapy for Alopecia Areata

January 2006 in “ Dermatology ”

Masahiro Kurosawa, Satoshi Nakagawa, Masato Mizuashi, Yoshinori Sasaki, Maki Kawamura, Mineo Saito, Setsuya Aiba

alopecia areata systemic corticosteroid therapy triamcinolone acetonide oral dexamethasone pulse therapy adrenocortical reserve impairment AA imTA Dex PT

TLDR imTA and pulse therapy are effective for alopecia areata with manageable side effects, but relapse rates need improvement.

The study compared the efficacy, relapse rate, and side effects of three systemic corticosteroid therapies for alopecia areata (AA) in 89 patients. The intramuscular triamcinolone acetonide (imTA) group showed a significantly better response rate for AA/multiplex compared to the oral dexamethasone (Dex) group. The pulse therapy (PT) group had a significantly better overall relapse rate and for AA totalis/universalis compared to the Dex group. Dysmenorrhea was the most common side effect, and adrenocortical reserve impairment occurred in 7% of the PT group and 23% of the imTA group, but it resolved without further treatment. The study concluded that imTA or pulse therapy was effective for AA with acceptable side effects, but a new strategy to reduce the relapse rate was needed.

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