Efficacy of Oral Minoxidil in the Treatment of Androgenic Alopecia in Male Patients Presenting at a Tertiary Care Hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37762/jgmds.13-2.834Keywords:
Androgenic Alopecia, Minoxidil, Alopecia/Drug Therapy, Hair Loss, Norwood-Hamilton ScaleAbstract
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to determine the efficacy of oral Minoxidil in the treatment of androgenic alopecia among male patients presenting to a tertiary care hospital.
METHODOLOGY
A quasi-experimental study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology, MTI-Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, from 08 August 2024 to 08 February 2025. Sixty-one male patients aged 18-60 years with androgenic alopecia were enrolled consecutively after ethical approval. Oral Minoxidil 5 mg once daily was administered for four months. Efficacy was defined as ≥1 grade improvement on the Norwood–Hamilton scale after three months of therapy. Data were collected on a structured proforma and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 27. Mean ± SD was calculated for continuous variables and n (%) for categorical variables. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression were applied, with p<0.05 considered significant.
RESULTS
The mean age of participants was 40.31 ± 11.98 years, and the mean weight was 74.76 ± 8.34 kg. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 124.92 ± 13.55 mmHg and 78.25 ± 11.33 mmHg, respectively, and mean heart rate was 78.30 ± 14.43 beats/min. Dyslipidemia was present in 22 (36.1%) patients, and smoking in 25 (41.0%). Oral Minoxidil was effective in 55 (90.2%) patients. Stratified analysis and logistic regression showed no significant association between efficacy and patient characteristics (p>0.05 for all).
CONCLUSION
Oral Minoxidil 5 mg once daily is highly effective in improving androgenic alopecia in males, with response remaining consistent across demographic and clinical subgroups.
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