Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a variety of cicatricial alopecia characterized by a band of frontal/frontoparietal hair recession and marked decrease or a complete loss of the eyebrows, typically observed in women who ...Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a variety of cicatricial alopecia characterized by a band of frontal/frontoparietal hair recession and marked decrease or a complete loss of the eyebrows, typically observed in women who are postmenopausal. The purpose of this study was to report clinical and histopathologic findings and results of treatment in a group of women affected by the disease. A total of 14 women with alopecia of the frontal hairline were evaluated from June 2000 through July 2003 in our outpatient consultation for hair disorders. Clinical examination revealed a band of symmetric recession of the frontoparietal hairline extending to the preauricular areas associated with loss of follicular orifices, mild skin atrophy, and perifollicular erythema at the scalp margin. In all, 9 patients also had partial or total loss of the eyebrows. The histologic features of the scalp specimens were similar in all our patients with a reduction of the number of hair follicles, and a high number of intermediate and velluslike follicles. Intemediate and velluslike follicles were more commonly affected than terminal follicles by the lymphocytic inflammatory infiltrate and perifollicular fibrosis. Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a cicatricial alopecia that follows destruction of hair follicles by an inflammatory lymphocytic infiltrate that is localized around the upper portion of the hair follicle. It differs from lichen planopilaris because the lymphocytic infiltrate and fibrosis affect selectively the intermediate and the velluslike follicles of the frontal margin and eyebrows. The reason for this selective involvement is still unknown. Frontal fibrosing alopecia may represent a variety of lichen planopilaris with selective involvement of certain androgen- dependent areas. The affected follicles may have typical biologic markers that could explain the clinical and histologic features found in the disease. It is interesting to note that some of the patients treated with finasteride (2.5 mg/d) showed an arrest in the progression of the disease. Even if there is no proof for a hormonal basis of the disease, the effectiveness of finasteride in some patients may indicate that androgens might be partially responsible of the pathogenesis of the disease.展开更多
Background: The prognosis of alopecia areata (AA) is difficult to predict. Few studies report long-term follow-up of AA patients. Objective: The purpose of this study is to better assess the long-term evolution of AA ...Background: The prognosis of alopecia areata (AA) is difficult to predict. Few studies report long-term follow-up of AA patients. Objective: The purpose of this study is to better assess the long-term evolution of AA and the possible relationship between disease severity and treatment response with long-term prognosis. Methods: One hundred ninety one patients with AA who presented with a new diagnosis of AA between 1983 and 1990 were subsequently contacted by phone. Patients were queried regarding current disease status, treatments, and disease course. Results: Severity of AA at first consultation ranged from mild (128 patients) to severe (63 patients). Fifty-five of 191 patients were affected by concomitant autoimmune or related inflammatory disease. Sixty-six of 191 patients were presently disease free (followup duration, 15-22 years; mean 17.74 years). These include 41 of 60 patients with S1 disease (68.3%), 22 of 68 patients with S2 disease (32.3%), 1 of 11 patients with S3 disease (9%), 1 of 14 patients with S4 disease (7.1%), and 1 of 11 patients with alopecia totalis (AT) (9.1%). Sixty-nine of 191 patients (36-1%) were presently affected by AT or alopecia universalis. There was a statistically significant tendency of severe patterns of AA to worsen over time. In children, 18 of 39 (13 with ≤S2 disease and 5 with ≥S3 disease) with AA had developed AT or alopecia universalis at long-term follow-up. In children, however, this trend was not statistically significant. Patients with severe AA who responded to topical immunotherapy seem to have a better prognosis than nonresponders. Limitations: Follow-up was only performed by phone. Conclusions: Severity of AA at time of first consultation is an important prognostic factor. Response to therapy (topical immunotherapy) may be associated with better prognosis. In children, the prognosis is worse; our study found that AA worsens over time.展开更多
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of oral finasteride therapy associated with an oral contraceptive containing drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol in premenopausal women with female pattern hair loss. Setting: Outpat...Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of oral finasteride therapy associated with an oral contraceptive containing drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol in premenopausal women with female pattern hair loss. Setting: Outpatient consultation for hair disorders at the Department of Dermatology, University of Bologna. Patients and Intervention: Thirty-seven women with female pattern hair loss were treated with oral finasteride, 2.5 mg/d, while taking an oral contraceptive containing drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol. Treatment efficacy was evaluated using global photography and the hair density score from videodermoscopy. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess patient evaluation of treatment effectiveness. Results: At 12-month follow-up, 23 of the 37 patients were rated as improved using global photography (12 were slightly improved, 8 were moderately improved, and 3were greatly improved). No improvement was recorded in 13 patients. One patient experiencedworsening of the condition. There was a statistically significant (P=.002) increase in the hair density score in 12 patients. No adverse reactions to the drug were reported. Conclusions: Sixty-two percent of the patients demonstrated some improvement of their hair loss with the use of finasteride, 2.5 mg/d, while taking the oral contraceptive. It is unclear whether the success was due to a higher dosage of finasteride (2.5 mg instead of 1 mg) or to its association with the oral contraceptive containing drospirenone, which has an antiandrogenic effect. Further studies are necessary to understand which patterns of female pattern hair loss respond better to this treatment.展开更多
文摘Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a variety of cicatricial alopecia characterized by a band of frontal/frontoparietal hair recession and marked decrease or a complete loss of the eyebrows, typically observed in women who are postmenopausal. The purpose of this study was to report clinical and histopathologic findings and results of treatment in a group of women affected by the disease. A total of 14 women with alopecia of the frontal hairline were evaluated from June 2000 through July 2003 in our outpatient consultation for hair disorders. Clinical examination revealed a band of symmetric recession of the frontoparietal hairline extending to the preauricular areas associated with loss of follicular orifices, mild skin atrophy, and perifollicular erythema at the scalp margin. In all, 9 patients also had partial or total loss of the eyebrows. The histologic features of the scalp specimens were similar in all our patients with a reduction of the number of hair follicles, and a high number of intermediate and velluslike follicles. Intemediate and velluslike follicles were more commonly affected than terminal follicles by the lymphocytic inflammatory infiltrate and perifollicular fibrosis. Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a cicatricial alopecia that follows destruction of hair follicles by an inflammatory lymphocytic infiltrate that is localized around the upper portion of the hair follicle. It differs from lichen planopilaris because the lymphocytic infiltrate and fibrosis affect selectively the intermediate and the velluslike follicles of the frontal margin and eyebrows. The reason for this selective involvement is still unknown. Frontal fibrosing alopecia may represent a variety of lichen planopilaris with selective involvement of certain androgen- dependent areas. The affected follicles may have typical biologic markers that could explain the clinical and histologic features found in the disease. It is interesting to note that some of the patients treated with finasteride (2.5 mg/d) showed an arrest in the progression of the disease. Even if there is no proof for a hormonal basis of the disease, the effectiveness of finasteride in some patients may indicate that androgens might be partially responsible of the pathogenesis of the disease.
文摘Background: The prognosis of alopecia areata (AA) is difficult to predict. Few studies report long-term follow-up of AA patients. Objective: The purpose of this study is to better assess the long-term evolution of AA and the possible relationship between disease severity and treatment response with long-term prognosis. Methods: One hundred ninety one patients with AA who presented with a new diagnosis of AA between 1983 and 1990 were subsequently contacted by phone. Patients were queried regarding current disease status, treatments, and disease course. Results: Severity of AA at first consultation ranged from mild (128 patients) to severe (63 patients). Fifty-five of 191 patients were affected by concomitant autoimmune or related inflammatory disease. Sixty-six of 191 patients were presently disease free (followup duration, 15-22 years; mean 17.74 years). These include 41 of 60 patients with S1 disease (68.3%), 22 of 68 patients with S2 disease (32.3%), 1 of 11 patients with S3 disease (9%), 1 of 14 patients with S4 disease (7.1%), and 1 of 11 patients with alopecia totalis (AT) (9.1%). Sixty-nine of 191 patients (36-1%) were presently affected by AT or alopecia universalis. There was a statistically significant tendency of severe patterns of AA to worsen over time. In children, 18 of 39 (13 with ≤S2 disease and 5 with ≥S3 disease) with AA had developed AT or alopecia universalis at long-term follow-up. In children, however, this trend was not statistically significant. Patients with severe AA who responded to topical immunotherapy seem to have a better prognosis than nonresponders. Limitations: Follow-up was only performed by phone. Conclusions: Severity of AA at time of first consultation is an important prognostic factor. Response to therapy (topical immunotherapy) may be associated with better prognosis. In children, the prognosis is worse; our study found that AA worsens over time.
文摘Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of oral finasteride therapy associated with an oral contraceptive containing drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol in premenopausal women with female pattern hair loss. Setting: Outpatient consultation for hair disorders at the Department of Dermatology, University of Bologna. Patients and Intervention: Thirty-seven women with female pattern hair loss were treated with oral finasteride, 2.5 mg/d, while taking an oral contraceptive containing drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol. Treatment efficacy was evaluated using global photography and the hair density score from videodermoscopy. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess patient evaluation of treatment effectiveness. Results: At 12-month follow-up, 23 of the 37 patients were rated as improved using global photography (12 were slightly improved, 8 were moderately improved, and 3were greatly improved). No improvement was recorded in 13 patients. One patient experiencedworsening of the condition. There was a statistically significant (P=.002) increase in the hair density score in 12 patients. No adverse reactions to the drug were reported. Conclusions: Sixty-two percent of the patients demonstrated some improvement of their hair loss with the use of finasteride, 2.5 mg/d, while taking the oral contraceptive. It is unclear whether the success was due to a higher dosage of finasteride (2.5 mg instead of 1 mg) or to its association with the oral contraceptive containing drospirenone, which has an antiandrogenic effect. Further studies are necessary to understand which patterns of female pattern hair loss respond better to this treatment.
