Efficacy of Calcipotriol/Betamethasone Ointment in the Management of Pediatric Alopecia Areata.

BACKGROUND

Topical corticosteroids are acknowledged as the first-line treatment for pediatric alopecia areata. There are cases that are recalcitrant to topical corticosteroid application.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of calcipotriol/betamethasone ointment in pediatric alopecia areata.

METHODS

In a 12-week retrospective study, 40 patients under 10 years old with alopecia areata were included. The patients were treated with a topical ointment combining 0.005% calcipotriol and betamethasone dipropionate once daily. The efficacy was monitored through changes in Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) scores.

RESULTS

The 40 patients, with a mean age of 4.1±2.1 years, were categorized by their SALT scores into two groups: those above and below 50. Patients with SALT scores over 50 showed hair regrowth in 7.44±4.44 weeks, while those with SALT scores under 50 showed regrowth in 5.71±2.58 weeks. After 12 weeks, 80.0% of the patients showed hair regrowth and 20.0% of patients showed no response or worsening. Only minor adverse events were documented during follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Calcipotriol/betamethasone ointment may represent a useful topical option for pediatric alopecia areata.