Clinical effect of hyperbaric oxygen on androgenic alopecia

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on the patients with androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Methods A total of 71 patients with AGA admitted into the Xiangya Hospital from January 2014 to December 2016 were enrolled for the study, and were divided into the HBO group (n=38) and control group (n=33), according to different treatment methods. The patients in the control group were treated with conventional drugs, while the patients in the HBO group received HBO therapy in addition to the treatment received by the control group. Following 6 courses of treatment, therapeutic effects were compared between the patients of the 2 groups. Therapeutic effects were evaluated by using hair loss and new hair growth scores, Dermatology Life Questionnaire Index (DLQI) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), and the levels of free testosterone (FT) and 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT) were detected before and after treatment. Results Following 6 courses of treatment, the therapeutic efficacy of the HBO group (90.91%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (70.53%)(P 0.05). Conclusion Comprehensive HBO therapy could further improve clinical efficacy on the patients with AGA, reduce hair loss, increase new hair growth, improve the emotion of the patients with depression, and could ultimately increase their daily life quality. Key words: Androgenic alopecia; Hyperbaric oxygen; Free testosterone; 5-dihydrotestosterone