,
Andrianandrianina Mbolatiana Kiady Armando Rakotomanana,
Fandresena Arilala Sendrasoa,
Moril Sata,
Fenohasina Rakotonandrasana,
Onivola Raharolahy,
Irina Mamisoa Ranaivo,
Lala Soavina Ramarozatovo,
Fahafahantsoa Rabenja Rapelanoro
Introduction: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease of the hair follicles that causes non-scarring hair loss. We aim to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects of AA seen in Malagasy children. Materials and Methods: A descriptive retrospective study was conducted over a 71-month period in children <15 years old with AA, seen in the two dermatology departments of the University Hospital Joseph Raseta Befelatanana, Antananarivo Madagascar. Results: Twenty-five cases of AA in children were included. The sex ratio was 0.47. The mean age was 10.36 ± 3.7 years. Patchy alopecia was the most frequent presentation (n=12), then totalis alopecia (n=3), ophiasis alopecia (n=2), and finally alopecia universalis (n=1). An association of patchy and ophiasis alopecia was found in 7 cases. The first-line treatments used were very potent topical corticosteroids in 18 cases, combined with systemic treatment in 8 cases. Mini-pulse corticosteroid therapy was used in 10 cases. Corticosteroid boluses (5-10 mg/kg/day for 3 days) were used in 5 cases. As a second-line treatment, methotrexate (5-7.5 mg/week) was used in 3 cases. After first-line treatment, complete regrowth (≥80%) was observed in 3 patients, and partial regrowth (29 to 80%) in 14 patients. Conclusion: AA has a heterogeneous presentation and unpredictable clinical course. Our study shows the therapeutic difficulty of AA in children.
| Published in | International Journal of Clinical Dermatology (Volume 9, Issue 1) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijcd.20260901.12 |
| Page(s) | 10-16 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Alopecia Areata, Children, Madagascar
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APA Style
Andriatahina, H. F. P., Rakotomanana, A. M. K. A., Sendrasoa, F. A., Razafimaharo, T. I., Sata, M., et al. (2026). Clinico-epidemiological and Therapeutic Aspects of Alopecia Areata in Children at the Dermatology Department, University Hospital of Antananarivo, Madagascar. International Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 9(1), 10-16. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcd.20260901.12
ACS Style
Andriatahina, H. F. P.; Rakotomanana, A. M. K. A.; Sendrasoa, F. A.; Razafimaharo, T. I.; Sata, M., et al. Clinico-epidemiological and Therapeutic Aspects of Alopecia Areata in Children at the Dermatology Department, University Hospital of Antananarivo, Madagascar. Int. J. Clin. Dermatol. 2026, 9(1), 10-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ijcd.20260901.12
AMA Style
Andriatahina HFP, Rakotomanana AMKA, Sendrasoa FA, Razafimaharo TI, Sata M, et al. Clinico-epidemiological and Therapeutic Aspects of Alopecia Areata in Children at the Dermatology Department, University Hospital of Antananarivo, Madagascar. Int J Clin Dermatol. 2026;9(1):10-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ijcd.20260901.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ijcd.20260901.12,
author = {Herin'Ny Fitiavana Princia Andriatahina and Andrianandrianina Mbolatiana Kiady Armando Rakotomanana and Fandresena Arilala Sendrasoa and Tsiory Iarintsoa Razafimaharo and Moril Sata and Fenohasina Rakotonandrasana and Onivola Raharolahy and Malalaniaina Andrianarison and Irina Mamisoa Ranaivo and Lala Soavina Ramarozatovo and Fahafahantsoa Rabenja Rapelanoro},
title = {Clinico-epidemiological and Therapeutic Aspects of Alopecia Areata in Children at the Dermatology Department, University Hospital of Antananarivo, Madagascar},
journal = {International Journal of Clinical Dermatology},
volume = {9},
number = {1},
pages = {10-16},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijcd.20260901.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcd.20260901.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijcd.20260901.12},
abstract = {Introduction: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease of the hair follicles that causes non-scarring hair loss. We aim to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects of AA seen in Malagasy children. Materials and Methods: A descriptive retrospective study was conducted over a 71-month period in children <15 years old with AA, seen in the two dermatology departments of the University Hospital Joseph Raseta Befelatanana, Antananarivo Madagascar. Results: Twenty-five cases of AA in children were included. The sex ratio was 0.47. The mean age was 10.36 ± 3.7 years. Patchy alopecia was the most frequent presentation (n=12), then totalis alopecia (n=3), ophiasis alopecia (n=2), and finally alopecia universalis (n=1). An association of patchy and ophiasis alopecia was found in 7 cases. The first-line treatments used were very potent topical corticosteroids in 18 cases, combined with systemic treatment in 8 cases. Mini-pulse corticosteroid therapy was used in 10 cases. Corticosteroid boluses (5-10 mg/kg/day for 3 days) were used in 5 cases. As a second-line treatment, methotrexate (5-7.5 mg/week) was used in 3 cases. After first-line treatment, complete regrowth (≥80%) was observed in 3 patients, and partial regrowth (29 to 80%) in 14 patients. Conclusion: AA has a heterogeneous presentation and unpredictable clinical course. Our study shows the therapeutic difficulty of AA in children.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Clinico-epidemiological and Therapeutic Aspects of Alopecia Areata in Children at the Dermatology Department, University Hospital of Antananarivo, Madagascar AU - Herin'Ny Fitiavana Princia Andriatahina AU - Andrianandrianina Mbolatiana Kiady Armando Rakotomanana AU - Fandresena Arilala Sendrasoa AU - Tsiory Iarintsoa Razafimaharo AU - Moril Sata AU - Fenohasina Rakotonandrasana AU - Onivola Raharolahy AU - Malalaniaina Andrianarison AU - Irina Mamisoa Ranaivo AU - Lala Soavina Ramarozatovo AU - Fahafahantsoa Rabenja Rapelanoro Y1 - 2026/02/09 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcd.20260901.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ijcd.20260901.12 T2 - International Journal of Clinical Dermatology JF - International Journal of Clinical Dermatology JO - International Journal of Clinical Dermatology SP - 10 EP - 16 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2995-1305 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcd.20260901.12 AB - Introduction: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease of the hair follicles that causes non-scarring hair loss. We aim to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects of AA seen in Malagasy children. Materials and Methods: A descriptive retrospective study was conducted over a 71-month period in children <15 years old with AA, seen in the two dermatology departments of the University Hospital Joseph Raseta Befelatanana, Antananarivo Madagascar. Results: Twenty-five cases of AA in children were included. The sex ratio was 0.47. The mean age was 10.36 ± 3.7 years. Patchy alopecia was the most frequent presentation (n=12), then totalis alopecia (n=3), ophiasis alopecia (n=2), and finally alopecia universalis (n=1). An association of patchy and ophiasis alopecia was found in 7 cases. The first-line treatments used were very potent topical corticosteroids in 18 cases, combined with systemic treatment in 8 cases. Mini-pulse corticosteroid therapy was used in 10 cases. Corticosteroid boluses (5-10 mg/kg/day for 3 days) were used in 5 cases. As a second-line treatment, methotrexate (5-7.5 mg/week) was used in 3 cases. After first-line treatment, complete regrowth (≥80%) was observed in 3 patients, and partial regrowth (29 to 80%) in 14 patients. Conclusion: AA has a heterogeneous presentation and unpredictable clinical course. Our study shows the therapeutic difficulty of AA in children. VL - 9 IS - 1 ER -
Department of Dermatology, Joseph Raseta Befelatanana University Hospital, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Department of Dermatology, Joseph Raseta Befelatanana University Hospital, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Department of Dermatology, Joseph Raseta Befelatanana University Hospital, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Morafeno, Toamasina, Madagascar
Department of Dermatology, Joseph Raseta Befelatanana University Hospital, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Department of Dermatology-Internal Medicine Pavillon Special A, Joseph Raseta Befelatanana University Hospital, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Place Kabary, Antsiranana, Madagascar
Department of Dermatology-Internal Medicine Pavillon Special A, Joseph Raseta Befelatanana University Hospital, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Department of Dermatology, Joseph Raseta Befelatanana University Hospital, Antananarivo, Madagascar
