Steroid-Based Therapy Induce Hair GrowthA kind of steroid therapy has induced hair growth in more than 90% of patients with alopecia universalis. In the clinical evaluation of Dr. Kiumars Pirkalani of Mehr Medical Group in Tehran, Iran, the therapy starts with methotrexate and triamcinolone and then progresses through some of the same drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

According to Dr. Pirkalani, conventional therapies for alopecia areata and its variants have proven unsatisfactory. Local irritants, such as diphencyprone and dithranol, induce hair growth in no more than half of patients and many of them cannot tolerate the therapies.

From medpage today:

Methotrexate-based, steroid-sparing therapy has induced hair growth in more than 90% of patients with alopecia universalis, according to an ongoing clinical evaluation.

Based on evidence implicating autoimmunity in the hair loss, the therapy begins with methotrexate and triamcinolone and then progresses through some of the same drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Kiumars Pirkalani, M.D., of Mehr Medical Group in Tehran, Iran, said here at the International Congress of Dermatology.

The overarching goal was to taper steroid use and finally eliminates it altogether if possible.

“We have shown that, although this seems to involve many drugs, it will be potentially curative with short courses of therapy with the fewest side effects, if used intelligently,” said Dr. Pirkalani.

Conventional therapies for alopecia areata and its variants have proven unsatisfactory. Local irritants, such as diphencyprone and dithranol, induce hair growth in no more than half of patients and many of them cannot tolerate the therapies, said Dr. Pirkalani.

Combining triamcinolone with other drugs has typically led to higher response rates than those observed with triamcinolone monotherapy.

During the study, the researchers developed a multistep approach to treat alopecia universalis, by employing two or more drugs. Doctor Pirkalani said that 94% or 102 of 109 patients have responded to weekly triamcinolone and methotrexate.


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