Efficacy and safety of topical corticosteroid treatment under occlusion for severe alopecia areata in children: a single-centre retrospective analysis

Background Alopecia areata (AA) has a poor clinical course in children. There are no reliable therapeutic options for children with severe AA, including alopecia totalis (AT) and alopecia universalis (AU).Objectives We evaluated the efficacy and adverse effects of a potent topical corticosteroid (TCS) under occlusion in paediatric patients with severe AA.Methods We reviewed records of 23 patients under the age of 10 years with AT or AU treated with a potent TCS (0.05% clobetasol propionate or 0.3% diflucortolone valerate) for 8 h under occlusion with a plastic film. We used the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) to measure clinical improvement. The primary endpoint was a SALT score of <= 20 at 6 months. We analysed the change in cortisol levels to identify the long-term safety of TCS therapy on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis.Results Nineteen of the 23 patients (83%) reached SALT <= 20 at 6 months. Six patients relapsed over the 6-month follow-up period. Four patients were suspected of having adrenal insufficiency. However, the cortisol levels of the patients recovered to normal within 1 month of lowering the TCS potency or changing to nonsteroidal treatments. Limitations include the retrospective design and small sample size.Conclusions This study shows that a potent TCS occlusion may be a safe treatment option in paediatric patients with severe AA. Further long-term studies are required to evaluate the safety and recurrence of TCS occlusion therapy for paediatric AA. In this study, 83% of the patients showed significant hair regrowth with a Severity of Alopecia Tool <= 20, and 18% showed transient hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression. However, the cortisol level rapidly recovered to normal after discontinuation of occlusion. Topical corticosteroid under occlusion could be an effective therapy for severe paediatric alopecia areata.