Placebo-controlled oral pulse prednisolone therapy in alopecia areata.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Systemic corticosteroids administered as pulse therapy have been found helpful in a wide array of diseases including alopecia areata (AA). None of the studies published so far regarding their use in AA have been randomized or placebo-controlled.

OBJECTIVE:

We sought to compare the efficacy of weekly oral prednisolone pulse therapy in a placebo-controlled trial for patients with extensive AA.

METHODS:

A total of 43 patients were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in group A (23 patients) were treated with oral prednisolone (200 mg once weekly, 5 40-mg tablets) and patients in group B (20 patients) were given placebo tablets on an identical schedule. The total study period was 6 months, consisting of 3 months of active therapy followed by another 3 months of observation.

RESULTS:

Significant hair regrowth was obtained in 8 patients in the prednisolone-treated group. Two of the responders experienced a relapse during the observation period of 3 months. In the placebo group, none of the patients had significant hair regrowth at the end of the study.

CONCLUSION:

Oral prednisolone pulse therapy is useful in AA. Placebo-controlled studies with varying dosage schedules are required to standardize the dose of prednisolone used in pulse therapy, optimize the therapeutic efficacy, and minimize side effects.

• Authors: Bikash Ranjan Kar, Sanjeev Handa, Sunil Dogra, Bhushan Kumar
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (J Am Acad Dermatol) Vol. 52 Issue 2 Pg. 287-90 (Feb 2005) ISSN: 1097-6787 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 15692475 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial)

Chemical References

• Immunosuppressive Agents
• Prednisolone

Topics

• Administration, Oral
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Alopecia Areata (complications, drug therapy)
• Autoimmune Diseases (complications, drug therapy)
• Drug Administration Schedule
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Humans
• Hypersensitivity, Immediate (complications)
• Immunosuppressive Agents (administration & dosage, adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Male
• Nail Diseases (etiology)
• Prednisolone (administration & dosage, adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Recurrence
• Risk Factors
• Treatment Outcome