P7.76 ALOPECIA AREATA: TOPICAL TREATMENT WITH ANTHRALIN (CIGNOLIN)

Gyde Staib, Karin Scharfetter-Kochanek

Department of Dermatology, University of Ulm, Germany

Alopecia areata (AA) is a poorly understood, unpredictable disorder causing patchy hair loss on the scalp and sometimes elsewhere on the body. AA is associated with thyroid disease, atopy, vitiligo and other autoimmune diseases. Children as well as adults can be affected.

In the last three years 32 patients with AA were treated in an outpatient setting with local anthralin cream. The treatment was started with 5 minutes application time and depending on the local skin reaction, augmented to 10,15 and 20 minutes.  If, in the following days, local erythema and pruritus were decreasing, the next higher concentration of anthralin was used ( from 0.5% up to 7%). The response was evaluated by the extent of hair regrowth.

Within 3 years of treatment and follow up 22/32 (68%) patients showed a total regrowth on the capillitium and also eyebrows and body hair.  5/32 developed  patchy regrowth on the capillitium and relapsed again after some weeks. Only 3/32 patients discontinued the treatment due to severe irritant reaction. 2/32 patients were non-responders and treatment was stopped after 1 year.

In summary, local anthralin minute- treatment is a reasonable out-patient therapy  option for Alopecia areata patients without significant toxicity.