Treatment of persistent alopecia areata with sulfasalazine.

3 Small study in people

What this means for you: first signals, nothing more.

Type of study: clinical trial
Studied in: people
Participants: 39
Published: 2008 in International journal of dermatology
Cited: 12 times by other research
Who paid: Not declared. PubMed carries no conflict-of-interest statement for most articles; that is not the same as independent.
Source: PubMed 18717871 · doi 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2008.03700.x

The plain-language write-up of this study is still being written. Below is the abstract exactly as the researchers published it.

Abstract by the researchers — original text

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease with no definitive treatment, and some cases persist despite standard therapies. Sulfasalazine has been reported to show success in the treatment of persistent cases of alopecia areata. Objective To assess the efficacy of sulfasalazine in cases of recalcitrant alopecia areata that do not respond to topical and intralesional corticosteroids, 5% minoxidil, or psoralen plus ultraviolet-A (PUVA) therapy. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with persistent alopecia areata received 3 g of oral sulfasalazine for 6 months, and terminal hair regrowth was quantified as no response, moderate response, or good response. RESULTS: A good response occurred in 10 of the 39 patients (25.6%), a moderate response in 12 (30.7%), and a poor or no response in 17 (43.5%). CONCLUSION: Sulfasalazine can be used as an alternative drug in patients with persistent alopecia areata.