High-dose intravenous corticosteroid pulse therapy in alopecia areata: own experience compared with the literature.

Background: Seven prospective studies including 193 patients have been published on high-dose intravenous corticosteroid pulse therapy in alopecia areata (AA). We compare these data with a retrospective analysis of our own consecutive patients.

Patients And Methods: Between 1998 and 2002,25 patients with severe AA were treated at the Department of Dermatology, University of Bern, with infusions of 500 mg methylprednisolone on 3 consecutive days.