A Systematic Review of Pulse Steroid Therapy for Alopecia Areata

The systematic review evaluated pulse corticosteroid therapy (PCT) for alopecia areata (AA) across 41 studies with 1,078 patients, finding a 43% complete response rate and a 17% relapse rate, with higher response rates in pediatric studies. Side effects were reported in 21% of patients and were generally minor. Good prognostic factors included short disease duration, multifocal AA, and first episode of disease. However, the lack of standardized protocols and well-controlled trials limited the ability to conduct a meta-analysis, underscoring the need for standardized guidelines in future research.