The Impact of Therapies for Male Pattern Baldness: Protocol for a Network Meta-Analysis Study

October 2023

Aditya K. Gupta, Mary Bamimore, Tong Wang

male pattern baldness androgenetic alopecia hair density Bayesian network meta-analyses Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool placebos active agents pattern baldness

TLDR The study aims to find the most effective treatments for male pattern baldness.

The study protocol aims to conduct a network meta-analysis to evaluate the relative impact of various therapies for male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). The study will include data from randomized trials, focusing on clinical endpoints such as the 6-month change in total hair density. The analysis will use Bayesian network meta-analyses and the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool to assess evidence quality. The study will exclude non-English language data and involve participants diagnosed with pattern baldness, comparing different therapies, including placebos and active agents. The goal is to aid clinical decision-making by identifying the most effective treatments for this common condition associated with significant psychosocial consequences.

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