Efficacy of dinitrochlorobenzene in the treatment of alopecia areata

Background: various kinds of sensitizers are administrated for alopecia areata treatment. the aim of this study was to evaluate treatment response to dinitrochlorobenzene (dncb) in alopecia areata patients. method: in this study, 117 patients were treated with dncb under a specific checklist. all patients were sensitized with a 2% dncb and then treated with ascending dncb concentrations (0.001%-2%). response to treatment was categorized as none, mild, moderate and marked improvement. result: thirty three (27.5%) patients showed no response, 49 (40.8%) had relapse 6 months after improvement, 29 (24.2%) had no relapse 6 months after the treatment and 6 patients were excluded because they did not return for follow-up visits. response to treatment in patients without eyelash and eyebrow involvement increased significantly (p=0.01). we did not observe any side effects except for localized dermatitis seen in 5% of the patients. conclusion: with respect to the suitable response to dncb application and its availability, the authors suggest that dncb be reconsidered in alopecia areata. however, attention must be paid to its mutagenicity.