Severe Alopecia Areata Treated With Systemic Corticosteroids
August 1998
in “
International Journal of Dermatology
”
TLDR Systemic corticosteroids don't prevent severe alopecia areata from spreading or relapsing.
The study investigated the effectiveness of systemic corticosteroids in treating severe alopecia areata in 18 patients. Satisfactory hair regrowth was observed in 7 patients (38.9%). However, hair loss recurred in all patients upon discontinuation or tapering of the corticosteroid therapy. The study concluded that while systemic corticosteroids could induce hair regrowth, they did not prevent the spread or relapse of severe alopecia areata, and sustained regrowth was rarely maintained off therapy.
