• Rabia Ghafoor, Najmus Saher, and Syeda Mahanum Ali.
• Department of Dermatology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan.
• J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2024 Jun 1; 34 (6): 650653650-653.

ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of topical minoxidil and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of alopecia areata (AA).Study DesignRandomised control trial. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Dermatology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan, from December 2021 to June 2022.MethodologyThe study included all the patients who visited JPMC Karachi during the study period. Permission from the ERB was obtained. The inclusion criteria were any gender and age 10 to 45 years. Topical minoxidil 5% solution was applied twice daily to Group A (six pubs/time), while PRP injections were administered to Group B at baseline and every four weeks for three months. Serial photos and the severity of alopecia tool (SALT) were used to determine the clinical assessment. When comparing the effectiveness between the two groups, a p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. SPSS version 23 was used to analyse the data.ResultsMean age was 23.11 ± 8.9 years in 376 patients. PRP and Minoxidil groups had mean SALT scores at three months that were 1.48 and 1.54, respectively. Both treatments were shown to be efficacious. There was no statistically significant difference in efficacy between the minoxidil solution and PRP (p = 0.483).ConclusionThere is no apparent difference between PRP and topical minoxidil 5% solution in the management of AA. To verify the results, additional studies are needed with a larger sample size and a longer duration of follow-up.Key WordsMinoxidil, Platelet-rich plasma, Alopecia areata, Severity of alopecia tool score.

22 keywords...

hide…