ILK Index and Regrowth in Alopecia Areata

There is insufficient data in the literature concerning optimal intralesional kenalog (ILK) dosing for the treatment of alopecia areata (AA). The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the utility of using the ratio of ILK received to initial Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score to guide ILK dosing in patients with AA. Using photographic data from patients at baseline and 4-months follow-up, hair loss in 15 patients treated with AA was retrospectively graded using the SALT scores. The ILK received/initial SALT score (ILK index) was calculated for each patient, and the mean ILK index for patients who experienced significant (≥50%) and suboptimal (<50%) hair regrowth at 4 months follow-up were compared. Patients who experienced suboptimal hair regrowth had a lower ILK index on average than patients who experienced significant improvement. Although the difference did not meet significance (<0.1), the trend suggests that the ILK index, a novel calculation, may be a useful tool for guiding ILK dosing in the treatment of AA.