Intralesional injection of two kinds of glucocorticosteroid for the treatment of active alopecia areata: a comparative study

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of intralesional betamethasone versus triamcinolone acetonide acetate in the treatment of active alopecia areata. Methods A total of 160 patients with active alopecia areata were divided into two groups, test group (n = 100) treated with intralesional betamethasone, and control group (n = 60) treated with intralesional triamcinolone acetonide. Both injections were given once every 3 weeks for 12 consecutive weeks. Results After 12-week treatment, the cure rate, response rate, and total response rate were 60.0%, 32.0% and 92.0% in the test group, respectively, compared to 41.7%, 31.67% and 73.3% in the control group, respectively. A significant increase was observed in the cure rate and response rate in the test group compared with the control group (χ2 = 10.25, 5.06, P 0.05). Conclusion Intralesional use of compound betamethasone injection has a notable therapeutic effect on alopecia areata.