Comparing the Efficacy of Weekly Azathioprine Pulse Versus Betamethasone Oral Mini-Pulse in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Alopecia Areata

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Weekly Azathioprine Pulse (WAP) therapy versus Betamethasone Oral Mini-Pulse (BOMP) therapy in 60 patients with moderate to severe Alopecia Areata. The WAP group, receiving 300 mg of azathioprine weekly, demonstrated a greater reduction in SALT scores and higher hair regrowth (68.62%) compared to the BOMP group, which received 5 mg of betamethasone on two consecutive days each week and showed 44.28% regrowth. Furthermore, 43.3% of patients in the WAP group achieved significant hair regrowth (≥76%) compared to 10% in the BOMP group. The study concluded that WAP therapy was more effective than BOMP in promoting hair regrowth in these patients.