Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34868895›Full record

ArticleWorld journal of clinical pediatrics2021

Treatment of alopecia totalis/universalis/focalis with vitamin D and analogs: Three case reports and a literature review.

Dimitrios T Papadimitriou, Christina Bothou, Eleni Dermitzaki, Alexios Alexopoulos, George Mastorakos

Open access · diamondAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in World journal of clinical pediatrics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Cutaneous and Gut Dysbiosis in Alopecia Areata: A Review.JID innovations : skin science from molecules to population health · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Oxidative stress and alopecia areata.Frontiers in medicine · 2023
    Review
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Dimitrios T PapadimitriouDepartment of Pediatric-Adolescent Endocrinology and Diabetes, Athens Medical Center, Athens 15125, Greece.
Christina BothouDepartment of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition, University Hospital Zurich (USZ), University of Zurich (UZH), CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland.
Eleni DermitzakiDepartment of Pediatric-Adolescent Endocrinology and Diabetes, Athens Medical Center, Athens 15125, Greece.
Alexios AlexopoulosSpecial Unit of Dermatology, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Agia Sofia Children's Hospital, Athens 11527, Greece.
George MastorakosEndocrine Unit, Aretaieion University Hospital, Athens 11528, Greece.
University of Zurich · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlopecia areata (AA) is an inflammatory disease with autoimmune, environmental, and inherited components directed at the hair follicle, either limited to patchy hair loss over the scalp (Focalis, AF), total loss of scalp hair (Totalis, AT), or total loss of both scalp and body hair (Universalis, AU). Despite multiple treatment modalities, no therapy exists. Vitamin D deficiency in patients with AA/AT/AF influences disease severity and duration, inversely correlating with inflammation histologically. CASE SUMMARY: Three girls presented with AT (P1), AU (P2), and AF (P3) at the ages of 1, 5, and 5 years, respectively. For P1-P2, all available treatments implemented for 2 years had failed. We started an initial 6-mo repletion with oral cholecalciferol 2000/4000 IU/d, with no apparent effect. Then we attempted immunomodulation using oral calcitriol and its analog paricalcitol. On calcitriol, 0.5 mcg/d P1 regrew hair within 6 mo. After 4 years, a relapse with loss of eyebrow hair was resolved after doubling the calcitriol dose to 0.5 mcg × 2/d; the results have been maintained for 6 years to date. On calcitriol, 0.25 mcg × 3/d P2 led to the development of asymptomatic hypercalcemia-hypercalciuria, which was immediately resolved by switching to paricalcitol 2 mcg × 3/d; mild tolerable hypercalciuria was maintained. Hair regrowth was observed at 6 mo, stabilizing only as fur at 12 mo. AF in P3 was resolved completely within 3 mo on a daily high dose (8000 IU) of cholecalciferol.

conclusionVitamin D may have immunomodulating therapeutic impact on AT/AU/AF, which needs to be explored with further pilot clinical trials.

Indexed as

Alopecia focalisAlopecia totalisAlopecia universalisCalcitriolCase reportParicalcitolVitamin D

Identifiers

PMID34868895
PMCPMC8603638
OpenAlexW3213066871

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.