Treatment of alopecia areata with three different PUVA modalities

Seventy-six patients with severe alopecia areata were treated with either local or oral 8-methoxypsoralen and UVA irradiations. In 43 cases (57%) a good-to-excellent result was obtained. The number of irradiations required for regrowth varied, but 20-40 treatments were sufficient in most cases with a positive response. Patients with circumscribed or ophiasic alopecia responded better than patients with total or universal alopecia. Non-atopic patients responded better than patients with atopy, while a family history of alopecia areata did not seem to have any significance on the outcome of the therapy. The age of onset of the disease seemed to be of importance, as well as the duration of the treated attack. Patients over 20 years old at the first attack showed a better response than patients with an earlier onset of the disease. During a follow-up period of 6-68 months, 22 of 43 successfully treated patients had a relapse.