Clinical Evaluation Of Platelet-rich Plasma Prepared By Automated Method Combined With Minoxidil In The Treatment Of Androgenetic Alopecia And The Investigation Of Patients’ Quality Of Life

BackgroundPlatelet-rich plasma(PRP)has been increasingly used in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia(AGA),However,there remains a dearth of data on the effectiveness of PRP prepared by automatic blood components separator with combination of topical minoxidil in the treatment of AGA.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of PRP prepared using an automated device with combination of topical 5%minoxidil therapy in male androgenic alopecia,and to explore whether it can be used as a novel and effective therapy for AGA.Questionnaires were also conducted for patients to quantify and analyze the influencing factors,so as to understand the impact of androgenetic alopecia on patients’ quality of life and psychology.MethodsA total of 30 male patients with mild/moderate AGA diagnosed in our clinic from October 2021 to June 2022 were selected for a randomized double-blind controlled study.Patients were randomly divided into 2 treatment arms with 15 cases each:(group A)PRP prepared using an automated device combined with topical 5%minoxidil group;(group B)PRP prepared using an automated device combined with topical placebo group.All patients received 3 injections of PRP at an interval of 4 weeks,combined with 5%minoxidil or placebo for topical use.We used the hair analysis software of dermoscopy to compare the differences of hair density/quantity and mean hair diameter between the two groups at baseline and follow-up.Clinical efficacy of global photography and patient satisfaction combined with trichoscopic assessment were conducted to multidimensional efficacy evaluation,and the occurrence of adverse reactions occurred during the treatment was observed and recorded.Questionnaires were administered to all AGA patients to evaluate their quality of life,depression and anxiety,and to analyze the influencing factors.SPSS23.0 statistical analysis software was used for processing statistical data.The student t test and chi-square test were conducted for statistical analysis.The correlation between DLQI and SAS,SDS score were both analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis,P<0.05 indicates that the difference is statistically significant.Results1.A total of 30 patients with mild to moderate AGA received(automated method)PRP injection therapy for 3 months.Dermoscopic hair data analysis showed that the average hair density and hair number increased significantly after treatment compared with before treatment,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the increase of mean hair diameter(P>0.05).2.In the comparison between the two groups,although the hair density/quantity of(automated method)PRP injection combined with topical 5%minoxidil group(group A)were slightly higher than that of(automated method)PRP injection combined with topical placebo group(group B),the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05).There was no statistical significance in the mean hair diameter between the two groups(P>0.05).The total effective rate of clinical efficacy in group A was 93.3%,higher than 73.3%in group B;The satisfaction rate of patients in group A was 86%and 73%in group B.the(automated method)PRP injection combined with topical 5%minoxidil had higher satisfaction and better clinical efficacy,which was superior to PRP monotherapy.No serious adverse reactions occurred in all patients during this treatment.3.The life quality index and depression as well as anxiety scores of all enrolled AGA patients were higher than those of normal population,and the scores of AGA patients improved after treatment compared to pre-treatment.The total DLQI score of AGA patients before treatment was 7.20 ± 5.76;the standard score of SAS was 45.87 ± 9.36,and a total of 10 patients(33.3%)had anxiety.the standard score of SDS of AGA patients was 52.5±11.91,and there were 18 patients with depression(60%).it was also found that DLQI had a significant positive correlation with SAS and SDS,and the higher the life quality index,the poorer the quality of life.The higher quality of life score,the higher the level of anxiety and depression,the more prone to anxiety and depression.ConclusionsAndrogenetic alopecia can affect the quality of life of patients,easy to produce anxiety,depression and other adverse psychological.Injection of platelet-rich plasma prepared by automatic blood separator(automated method)is safe and effective in the treatment of mild-to-moderate male androgenetic alopecia,and the combination therapy of(automated method)PRP injection and topical 5%minoxidil has better efficacy,which can promote hair growth in a short period of time,and has good clinical promotion value for the treatment of mild to moderate male androgenetic alopecia.