Sex Differences in Alopecia Areata Treated with Steroid Pulse Therapy: A Retrospective Study and Review of Literature

CONTEXT: Few reports focused on the sex differences in alopecia areata (AA) treated with steroid pulse therapy. AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the association between the clinical outcomes and distinction of gender in AA patients treated with steroid pulse therapy. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study retrospectively investigated 32 cases (15 males and 17 females) treated with steroid pulse therapy at the Department of Dermatology at the Shiga University of Medical Science between September 2010 and March 2017. METHODS AND MATERIAL: The administration of corticosteroid was 500 mg methylprednisolone intravenous infusion for 3 consecutive days. Patients were followed up approximately once a month until March 2017. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The respective data were analyzed by examining and comparing males and females. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test and χ(2) test. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in periods from the onset of AA to the administration of steroid pulse therapy (P = 0.2), the degree of severity (P = 0.37) and improved rate (P = 0.0772) between males and females. In contrast, the remission rate was 20% (3 of 15 males) and 71% (12 of 17 females), which was statistically significant (P = 0.0042). Previous reports have also shown a significant difference in the remission rate between males and females (males: 32 of 114; females: 51 of 117; P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limitations of a small sample size including the previous reports (n = 261), female patients with AA would have better outcomes than male patients after steroid pulse therapy.