Cryotherapy Versus Steroids In Alopecia Areata:Trichoscopic Evaluation

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03473600
• Recruitment Status: Unknown
• First Posted: March 22, 2018
• Last Update Posted: March 22, 2018
• Sponsor: Assiut University
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): Noura Ali, Assiut University

Study Description

Brief Summary:

Alopecia areata is the most frequent cause of inflammation-induced hair loss with prevalence from 0.1 to 0.2%. It has no age nor sex predilection .

Clinically, alopecia areata presents as a well-circumscribed patch of sudden hair loss. It affects any hair bearing area. The most common affected site is the scalp. Based on site and extent, AA can be classified into; diffuse, multi-locularis, mono-locularis, totalis, universalis, and ophiasis.

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment	Phase
Alopecia Areata	Procedure: Cryotherapy; Drug: Triamcinolone acetonide injection	Phase 4

Detailed Description:

Histologically, lesional biopsies of alopecia areata demonstrate a peri_follicullare and intra_folliculare mononuclear cell infiltrate around anagen phase hair follicles .The infiltrate consists mostly of activated lymphocytes in particular CD4 cells as well as dendritic cells and macrophages.

Many theories were implicated in pathogenesis of alopecia areata such as; autoimmune lymphocytic attack of the hair, genetic basis and environmental factors. So the pathogenesis of alopecia areata remains to be determined. Currently a widely accepted theory is the autoimmune etiology. Specific T_cell lymphocytes, autoantibodies against anagen follicles, and various cytokines such as interferon-γ, interleukins, and tumor necrosis factor-α have been found to play a major role in alopecia areata. In addition, the immune privilege theory has been recently introduced and suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis.

Many kinds of treatment modalities are present in localized alopecia areata. Injectable forms of corticosteroids are first line of alopecia areata therapy, and also topical use of steroids is widely used. Others are topical sensitization with anthrain, minoxidil and cryotherapy. In extention form of alopecia areata, systemic treatments like corticosteroids, cyclosporine and methotrexate can be used.

Intralesional Corticosteroid injection:

National Guidelines from British Association of Dermatologists, recommend intralesional corticosteroid therapy as the first line treatment for localized patchy alopecia areata, with approximate success rates of 60-75%. Their use was first described in 1958, with the use of hydrocortisone.

Immunosuppression is the main mechanism of action. Corticosteroids suppress the T-cell-mediated immune attack on the hair follicle. Steroids with low solubility are preferred for their slow absorption from the injection site, promoting maximum local action with minimal systemic effect. The efficacy of intralesional corticosteroid injection is variable depending on the patient population treated.

Cryotherapy:

Cryotherapy may act through either singly or by a combination of the following mechanisms resulting in hair regrowth in alopecia areata. After initial vasoconstriction with cryotherapy, there is a significant local vasodilatation during the thaw period as the temperature reaches zero degree Celsius. Thus, cryotherapy is speculated to dilate the vessels around the affected hair follicles, with an increase in the blood flow leading to follicular hair regrowth. Moreover, local edema and inflammation occurring after cryotherapy may play a role in inducing vasodilation.

Cryotherapy is also speculated to inflict partial damage to keratinocytes, especially the antigenic components of the hair follicle keratin16 and trichohyalin, which are targeted by antibodies and thus, further decrease in damaging perifollicular infiltrate.

Cryotherapy may also alter tissue Langerhans cells, which in turn could alter the process of antigen presentation with further decrease in T cell infiltration. As it is known, the white hairs are spared in alopecia areata; it is hypothesized that melanocytes may have a role in the pathogenesis ofalopecia areata. Hence, cryotherapy may also act by destructing the melanocytes further preventing their role in the initiation of alopecia areata.

Dermoscopy:

Dermoscopy is now considered as a valuable tool in diagnosis of variable skin lesions. It is a non-invasive procedure which was initially used to assess pigmented lesions.

Scalp dermoscopy (Trichoscopy) does not only facilitate diagnosis of hair disorders but also give clues about disease stage and progression. Trichoscopy allows the superimposition of the skin layers with the possibility to observe any surface or deep skin layers.

The most common trichoscopic features of alopecia areata are yellow dots, micro-exclamation mark hairs, tapered hairs, black dots, broken hairs, and regrowing upright or regrowing coiled hairs. Black dots as remnants of exclamation mark hairs or broken hairs provide a sensitive marker for disease activity as well as severity of alopecia areata. Yellow dots, are considered to be the most sensitive dermoscopic feature of alopecia areata. Tapering hair is considered as a marker of disease activity and known to reflect exacerbation of disease. Trichoscopic characteristics have a clinical significance in alopecia areata for diagnosis and prognosis.

Severity of alopecia tool Score:

National Alopecia Areata Foundation working committee has devised "Severity of Alopecia Tool score. Severity of alopecia tool score is useful to find out the quantitative assessment of scalp hair loss.

Study Design

• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Estimated Enrollment: 40 participants
• Allocation: Randomized
• Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)
• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Official Title: Cryotherapy Versus Intralesional Corticosteroid Injection In Treatment Of Alopecia Areata: Trichoscopic Evaluation
• Estimated Study Start Date: November 2018
• Estimated Primary Completion Date: July 2019
• Estimated Study Completion Date: September 2019

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/treatment
Experimental: study group; •The first group (20 patients) will be treated with cryotherapy using liquid nitrogen spray, two cycles each one 3-5 seconds, one session every two weeks, for three months.	Procedure: Cryotherapy; Liquid Nitrogen spray
Active Comparator: control group; •The second group (20 patients) will be treated with intralesional injection of 4mg/ml/ session of triamcinolone-acetonide, it will be injected into deep dermis or upper subcutaneous tissue using a 0.5-inch long 30-gauge needle at multiple sites, 1 cm apart and 0.1 ml into each site, once every three weeks, for three months, using insulin syringes.	Drug: Triamcinolone acetonide injection; Intralesional Triamcinolone Acetonide injection

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. The incidence of patietns with hair regrowth [ Time Frame: 3 months ]
   measuring severity of alopecia tool score and dermoscopic examination

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 12 Years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age >12 years.
• Both sexes will be included.
• Newly diagnosed cases.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children < 12 years.
• Pregnancy and lactation.
• Patients with active scalp infection.
• Patients with cold sensitivity (regarding the first group).
• Any newly onset medical systemic illness.

Contacts and Locations

Contacts

Contact: Hanan Ahmed Morsy, Assistant professor; 01064447881; Hanan_morsy2003@yahoo.com

Contact: Aya Youssef Mohamed, Lecturer; 01013244819; Aya_badran@yahoo.com

Locations

Egypt

Faculty of medicine

Assiut, Egypt, 71111

Contact: Aya Youssef, Lecturer 01013244819

Sponsors and Collaborators

Assiut University

More Information

Publications:

Alkhalifah A, Alsantali A, Wang E, McElwee KJ, Shapiro J. Alopecia areata update: part I. Clinical picture, histopathology, and pathogenesis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010 Feb;62(2):177-88, quiz 189-90. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2009.10.032.

Campos-do-Carmo G, Ramos-e-Silva M. Dermoscopy: basic concepts. Int J Dermatol. 2008 Jul;47(7):712-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2008.03556.x. Review.

Chang KH, Rojhirunsakool S, Goldberg LJ. Treatment of severe alopecia areata with intralesional steroid injections. J Drugs Dermatol. 2009 Oct;8(10):909-12.

Gilhar A, Etzioni A, Paus R. Alopecia areata. N Engl J Med. 2012 Apr 19;366(16):1515-25. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1103442. Review.

Gilhar A, Paus R, Kalish RS. Lymphocytes, neuropeptides, and genes involved in alopecia areata. J Clin Invest. 2007 Aug;117(8):2019-27. Review.

Gregoriou S, Papafragkaki D, Kontochristopoulos G, Rallis E, Kalogeromitros D, Rigopoulos D. Cytokines and other mediators in alopecia areata. Mediators Inflamm. 2010;2010:928030. doi: 10.1155/2010/928030. Epub 2010 Mar 11. Review.

Inui S, Nakajima T, Itami S. Significance of dermoscopy in acute diffuse and total alopecia of the female scalp: review of twenty cases. Dermatology. 2008;217(4):333-6. doi: 10.1159/000155644. Epub 2008 Sep 18.

KALKOFF KW, MACHER E. [Growing of hair in alopecia areata & maligna after intracutaneous hydrocortisone injection]. Hautarzt. 1958 Oct;9(10):441-51. German.

Kang H, Wu WY, Lo BK, Yu M, Leung G, Shapiro J, McElwee KJ. Hair follicles from alopecia areata patients exhibit alterations in immune privilege-associated gene expression in advance of hair loss. J Invest Dermatol. 2010 Nov;130(11):2677-80. doi: 10.1038/jid.2010.180. Epub 2010 Jul 8.

Madani S, Shapiro J. Alopecia areata update. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2000 Apr;42(4):549-66; quiz 567-70. Review.

Mane M, Nath AK, Thappa DM. Utility of dermoscopy in alopecia areata. Indian J Dermatol. 2011 Jul;56(4):407-11. doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.84768.

Olsen EA, Hordinsky MK, Price VH, Roberts JL, Shapiro J, Canfield D, Duvic M, King LE Jr, McMichael AJ, Randall VA, Turner ML, Sperling L, Whiting DA, Norris D; National Alopecia Areata Foundation. Alopecia areata investigational assessment guidelines--Part II. National Alopecia Areata Foundation. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2004 Sep;51(3):440-7.

Pimentel CB, Moraes AM, Cintra ML. Angiogenic effects of cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen on the normal skin of rats, through morphometric study. An Bras Dermatol. 2014 May-Jun;89(3):410-3.

Rodriguez TA, Duvic M; National Alopecia Areata Registry. Onset of alopecia areata after Epstein-Barr virus infectious mononucleosis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008 Jul;59(1):137-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2008.02.005. Epub 2008 Mar 7.

Rudnicka L, Olszewska M, Rakowska A, Slowinska M. Trichoscopy update 2011. J Dermatol Case Rep. 2011 Dec 12;5(4):82-8. doi: 10.3315/jdcr.2011.1083.

Sawaya ME, Hordinsky MK. Glucocorticoid regulation of hair growth in alopecia areata. J Invest Dermatol. 1995 May;104(5 Suppl):30S.

Seetharam KA. Alopecia areata: an update. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2013 Sep-Oct;79(5):563-75. doi: 10.4103/0378-6323.116725. Review.

Shapiro J. Current treatment of alopecia areata. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2013 Dec;16(1):S42-4. doi: 10.1038/jidsymp.2013.14. Review.

Tosti A, Iorizzo M, Botta GL, Milani M. Efficacy and safety of a new clobetasol propionate 0.05% foam in alopecia areata: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2006 Nov;20(10):1243-7.

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• Responsible Party: Noura Ali, Principal Investigator, Assiut University
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03473600
• Other Study ID Numbers: CVILCsAA
• First Posted: March 22, 2018
• Last Update Posted: March 22, 2018
• Last Verified: March 2018

Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:

• Plan to Share IPD: Undecided

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: No

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Alopecia; Alopecia Areata; Hypotrichosis; Hair Diseases; Skin Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Triamcinolone; Triamcinolone Acetonide; Triamcinolone hexacetonide; Triamcinolone diacetate; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Glucocorticoids; Hormones; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Immunosuppressive Agents; Immunologic Factors; Enzyme Inhibitors; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action