Alopecia universalis successfully treated with kenchuto groups in a pediatric patient

Abstract

ABSTRACTCaseThe patient was an initially healthy girl aged 1 year and 5 months. She developed alopecia when she was 11 months old. At hospital visit, she was found to have alopecia universalis. Her hands and feet were cold, and her nails appeared dry.OutcomeHer symptoms were considered to indicate blood deficiency, and she received tokikenchuto. Six months later, multiple spots of alopecia were noted. Nine months later, the alopecia spots decreased and her nails were normalized and we changed tokikenchuto to shokenchuto. One year and 7 months later, the alopecia spots were no longer prominent.ConclusionFor alopecia in children, regional immunotherapy has been recommended in the treatment guidelines. However, the condition can recur after discontinuation of treatment and there is no treatment uniformity. The present findings suggest that Kampo medicine might be appropriate for alopecia universalis considering treatment continuity and safety.