Meta-analysis of efficacy of platelet-rich plasma therapy for androgenetic alopecia

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is used as an off-label treatment for androgenetic alopecia (AGA); however, published efficacy evidence is still preliminary.Objective: Conduct a meta-analysis of current trial data to estimate efficacy.Methods: Thirteen studies which investigated the use of PRP for treatment of AGA were identified from the literature. A meta-analysis was used to analyze results from four trials (N=60) where sufficient quantifiable data extraction was possible. All 13 studies were analyzed qualitatively.Results: When comparing PRP treatment to baseline, the overall standardized mean difference was 0.51 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.14, 0.88; I-2=0%] in favour of PRP treatment.Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest that the investigation of PRP for the treatment of AGA is promising. Controlled trials with quantifiable measures of treatment success are now required to confirm these results.