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KMID : 0363220190570100600
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Korean Journal of Dermatology
2019 Volume.57 No. 10 p.600 ~ p.607
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Clinical Observation of N-acetylcysteine in the Treatment of Child Trichotillomania
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Kim Choong-Jae
Choi Hoon
Na Chan-Ho
Shin Bong-Seok
Kim Min-Sung
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Abstract
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Background: Trichotillomania (TTM) is a medical condition that involves recurrent and irresistible urges to pull out their own hair. TTM generally follows a chronic course in most patients and is difficult to treat and manage.
Recently, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has shown efficacy in the treatment of TTM.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of treatment with NAC in trichotillomania children younger than 13 years of age.
Methods: We evaluated 15 patients under 13 years old who visited the Department of Dermatology at Chosun University Hospital between 2014 and 2019 for TTM. An initial dose of 400-mg NAC was administered to patients under 8 years and 800 mg to patients older than 8 years old. If there was no improvement for 2 weeks, the dose was increased with the maximum daily being 2,400 mg.
Results: The mean age of patients was 10.7 years; 8 were boys and 7 were girls. They presented with several asymptomatic focal patches of hair loss with different hair lengths on scalp. The dermoscopic findings were broken hairs, v-sign hairs, coiled hairs, and focal erythema. 10 out of 15 patients had a good response to NAC, whereas 5 patients did not respond to the treatment. The differences between the 2 groups were the treatment duration and total NAC doses. The effective group had a mean NAC of 973 mg/day for 11.5 weeks, while the non-effective group had a 1060 mg/day dose for 4 weeks.
Conclusion: NAC could be an effective and safe treatment option for TTM in children.
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KEYWORD
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Child, NAC, N-acetylcysteine, Trichoscopy, Trichotillomania
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