title: Successful treatment of alopecia areata with topical calcipotriol.
abstract: Alopecia areata (AA) is an inflammatory hair loss of unknown etiology. AA is chronic and relapsing, and no effective cure or preventive treatment has been established. Vitamin D was recently reported to be important in cutaneous immune modulation as well as calcium regulation and bone metabolism. It is well known that areata is common clinical finding in patients with vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D-resistant rickets, or vitamin D receptor (VDR) mutation. The biological actions of vitamin D3 derivatives include regulation of epidermal cell proliferation and differentiation and modulation of cytokine production. These effects might explain the efficacy of vitamin D3 derivatives for treating AA. In this study, we report a 7-year-old boy with reduced VDR expression in AA, recovery of whom was observed by topical application of calcipotriol, a strong vitamin D analog.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Ha
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin Woong
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: In Su
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sun Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Yun Young
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Hyeong Mi
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Beom Joon
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Myeung Nam
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Kim