BCG-immuno therapy in patients with alopecia areata

ABSTRACT

Alopecia areata [AA] is a common systemic disease of autoimmune origin associated with abnormal circulating T-lymphocytes and negative tuberculin test. Different modalities of treatment had been used to induce hair re-growth but BCG vaccine has not been tried before, so this study aimed at testing the effectiveness of this new therapy. A total of 100 patients with Alopecia areata 43[43%] females and 57 [57%] males with a mean age of 24 years were studied. Tuberculin test in these patients was negative in [96%] even in already BCG vaccinated patients. The response to BCG vaccination was very encouraging and helpful and this response increased after the second and third dose of BCG. The response was much higher in patients with ordinary AA compared with those with Alopecia totalis [AT] and Alopecia universalis [AU]. In conclusion, BCG immunotherapy is an effective new mode of treatment and as effective as other modalities of treatment and can be recommended alone or in combination with other treatments to increase the success rate especially in severe cases of AA