Table 1.
Summary of studies on oral minoxidil use in children
| Authors and year | Study design | Reason for minoxidil use | Number of participants | Age groupa | Dosage | Results | Adverse effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John and Sinclair 2023 [18] | Chart review | Androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, and alopecia totalis | N = 192 (80 M), 112 F) | Adolescent (13 to 18) | Sublingual and oral minoxidil, mean final dose of 1.0 mg/day (range 0.15–5 mg/day) | Not discussed |
Hypertrichosis (n = 22) Postural hypotension (n = 16) Nausea (n = 6) Headache (n = 6) Palpitations/tachycardia (n = 5) Elevated LFTs (n = 7) Anemia (n = 4) Fluid retention (n = 2) Mood disturbance (n = 2) Menstrual irregularities (n = 2) Acne (n = 1) Hypercholesterolemia (n = 1) Abdominal pain (n = 1) Weight gain (n = 1) Lethargy (n = 1) |
| John and Sinclair 2023 [17] | Chart review | Varying hair loss disorders | N = 63 (16 M, 47 F) | Infant; child | 0.1 mg once daily (range of 0.03 to 0.5 mg/day) | Not discussed |
Hypertrichosis (n = 13) Hypotension (n = 4) Headaches (n = 2) |
| DeNicolas-Ruanes et al. 2022 [16] | Chart review | Androgenetic alopecia and telogen effluvium | N = 45 (16 M, 29 F) | Child; adolescent |
Girls: mean dose 0.6 mg daily Boys: mean dose 2.4 mg daily |
Clinical improvement in hair density (80%), hair loss stabilization (20%) |
Hypertrichosis (n = 7) Hypotension (n = 1) Shedding (n = 2) |
| Moussa et al. 2023 [19] | Chart review | Alopecia areata | N = 29 (16 M, 13 F) | Child; adolescent | Mean dose 0.7 mg/day | Hair growth noted after initiation of baricitinib | None |
| Asfour et al. 2023 [15] | Chart review | Alopecia areata | N = 16 gender not specified | Child; adolescent | Mean dose of 0.5 mg/day | Hair growth noted after initiation of baricitinib | None |
| Jerjen et al. 2020 [14] | Chart review | Loose anagen syndrome | N = 8 (0 M, 8 F) | Child | Mean dose of 0.2 mg/day | Hair length improved in all cases, global hair density improved in seven cases |
Hypertrichosis (n = 1) Hair color change (n = 2) |
| Olamiju and Craiglow [13] | Cohort study | Androgenetic alopecia | N = 6 (0 M, 6 F) | Adolescent | Dose of 2.5 mg/day | Objective 1-grade improvement in 5 out of 6 patients; 6th patient remained same grade | None |
| Moussa et al. 2022 [4] | Chart review | Alopecia areata | N = 4 (0 M, 4 F) | Adolescent | 0.3 mg PO, 0.2–0.6 mg sublingual | Relapse of AA in 1/4 pediatric cases | None |
| Halling et al. 2010 [3] | Case series | Hypertension | N = 2 (2 M, 0 F) | Child |
Patient 1: 1.3 mg daily Patient 2: 2.5 mg daily |
Not discussed | Hypertrichosis (n = 2) |
| Vastarella et al. 2022 [12] | Case report | Wooly hair hypotrichosis | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Adolescent | 0.3 mg daily | Improvement in hair density and hair thickness compared to baseline | None |
| Cranwell and Sinclair 2018 [11] | Case report | Loose anagen syndrome | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Child | 0.5 mg daily | Shedding and hair density improved | Hair color change (n = 1) |
| Alsalhi and Tosti 2021 [10] | Case report | Androgenetic alopecia | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Adolescent | 0.6 mg daily | Clinical improvement with increased hair density | None |
| Ismail and Sinclair 2020 [9] | Case report | Alopecia areata | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Child | 0.5 mg minoxidil daily for 9 months, then 1 mg minoxidil daily for 4 years | Near-complete remission remained after 3 years of treatment | None |
| Bourkas and Sibbald 2022 [8] | Case report | Alopecia areata | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Adolescent | 1.25 mg daily for 5 months | Improvement in AA was noted | None |
| Willems and Sinclair 2022 [7] | Case report | Diffuse congenital hereditary generalized hypotrichosis | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Child |
Sublingual minoxidil 0.15 mg daily, this was uptitrated over 12 months to 1.8 mg daily Duration of treatment was 24 months |
Improvement in hair density and hair length of the scalp and eyebrows | None |
| Lopez-Balboa et al. 2022 [6] | Case series | Hypotrichosis simplex- corneodesmosin (CDSN) deficient | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Adolescent | 2 mg per day for 9 months | Satisfactory results | None |
| Perper et al. 2020 [5] | Case report | Androgenetic alopecia | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Adolescent | 2.5 mg daily | Not discussed | None |
| Sinaiko et al. 1980 [32] | Cohort study | Hypertension | N = 11 (5 M, 6 F) | Infant; child | Starting dose 0.1–0.2 mg/kg daily, mean dose 12.635 mg/day | Not applicable | Hypertrichosis (n = 11) |
| Camel et al. 1980 [35] | Cohort study | Hypertension | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Adolescent | 20 mg daily | Not applicable | None |
| Sinaiko and Mirkin 1977 [36] | Cohort study | Hypertension | N = 9 (5 M, 4 F) | Infant; child; adolescent | Initial dose of 0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg/24 h, increased when required to 0.3 to 0.5 mg/kg/24 h | Not applicable | Hypertrichosis (n = 9) |
| Rosenthal et al. 1980 [37] | Cohort study | Hypertension | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Child | Starting dose 2.5 mg 2 times daily, increased by 2.5 mg every 2 days until 20 mg daily later tapered to 7.5 mg daily | Not applicable | Hirsutism (n = 1) |
| Dumas et al. 1981 [38] | Case report | Hypertension | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Child | 20 mg daily | Not applicable |
Fluid retention (n = 1) Hypertrichosis (n = 1) |
| Bennett et al. 1980 [39] | Cohort study | Hypertension | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Adolescent | 2.5 mg every 12 h, increased by 2.5–5 mg daily to average dose of 21 mg daily | Not applicable | Pericardial effusion (n = 1) |
| Bennett 1977 [40] | Case report | Hypertension | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Adolescent | 7.5 mg twice daily increased to 10 mg three times daily | Not applicable | Pericardial effusion (n = 1) |
| Griswold et al. 1982 [41] | Case report | Hypertension | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Child | 40 mg/day (2.2 mg/kg per day) | Not applicable | Pericardial effusion (n = 1) |
| Makker 1975 [25] | Case report | Hypertension | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Child |
2.5 mg 4 times daily Increased up to 40 mg/ day |
Not applicable |
Drug resistance (n = 1) Fluid retention (n = 1) Hypertrichosis (n = 1) |
| Makker and Moorthy 1980 [42] | Case series | Hypertension | N = 3 (1 M, 2 F) | Child; adolescent |
Patient 1: ranged from 2.5 mg/day to 10 mg 4 times a day Patient 2: ranged from 12.5 mg 4 times daily to 2.5 mg twice a day Patient 3: on 2.5 mg twice a day and was gradually increased to 50 mg/day |
Not applicable |
Hypertrichosis (n = 3) Hypertensive encephalopathy (n = 3) Seizures (n = 1) Headaches (n = 1) |
| Colavita et al. 1983 [33] | Case series | Hypertension | N = 2 (1 M, 1 F) | Child |
Boy: 25 mg 2 times a day Girl: 5 mg three times a day |
Not applicable | Fluid retention (n = 1) |
| Pennisi et al. 1977 [34] | Cohort study | Hypertension | N = 6 (2 M, 4 F) | Infant; child; adolescent |
Adolescent patients: 5 mg every 12 h to 15 mg daily Patients weighing less than 40 kg: initial maximum dosage of 23.9 mg and 7.7 mg day |
Not applicable |
Hirsutism/hypertrichosis (n = 5) Pericardial effusion (n = 4) Congestive heart failure (n = 2) Fluid retention (n = 3) Reflex tachycardia (n = 2) |
| Isles et al. 1981 [43] | Case report | Accidental overdose | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Child | 20, 5 mg tablets in 1 h | Not applicable | Reflex tachycardia (n = 1) |
| Vesoulis et al. 2014 [21] | Case report | Hypertension | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Infant | 0.2 mg/kg daily dose increasing over 5 days to 0.6 mg/kg/day | Not applicable |
Anorexia (n = 1) Rebound hypertension (n = 1) |
| Joekes et al. 1981 [22] | Cohort study | Hypertension | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Adolescent | 2.5 mg twice daily | Not applicable |
Hirsutism (n = 1) Rebound hypertension (n = 1) |
| Maroni et al. 2022 [23] | Case report | Hypertension | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Infant | 0.8 mg/day increased to 5.88 mg/day | Not applicable |
Hypertrichosis (n = 1) Pericardial effusion (n = 1) Cardiac tamponade (n = 1) Pleural effusion (n = 1) |
| Oka and Mäkelä 1978 [24] | Cohort study | Hypertension | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Adolescent | 7.5 mg per day | Not applicable | Reflex tachycardia (n = 1) |
| Makker 1975 [25] | Case report | Hypertension | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Child | 2.5 mg every 6 h | Not applicable | Hirsutism (n = 1) |
| Hack 2006 [26] | Case report | Hypertension | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Adolescent | 5 mg two times daily | Not applicable | Creatinine elevation (n = 1) |
| Felts et al. 1980 [27] | Cohort study | Hypertension | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Adolescent | Initial dose of 2.5 mg and total dose of 15 mg in 24 h | Not applicable | None |
| Green et al. 1981 [28] | Case report | Hypertension | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Child | 5 mg two times daily then increased to 7.5 mg two times daily | Not applicable | None |
| Wood et al. 1979 [29] | Case report | Hypertension | N = 1 (0 M, 1 F) | Adolescent | Initial 2.5 mg oral every 4 h, then increased by 5 mg to 15 mg in 25 min. Decreased subsequently | Not applicable | None |
| Miwa et al. 1990 [30] | Case report | Hypertension | N = 1 (1 M, 0 F) | Child | Ranging from 2.5 mg two times daily to 7.5 mg two times daily | Not applicable | Hypertrichosis (n = 1) |
| Sanchez-Diaz et al. 2021 [31] | Case series | Accidental use | N = 20 (12 M, 8 F) | Infant; child; adolescent | Average of 13.2 mg daily | Not applicable |
Hypertrichosis (n = 13) Changes in hair color (n = 2) Diarrhea (n = 1) Anxiety (n = 1) Facial edema (n = 1) Severe asthenia (n = 1) |
M male, F female, AA alopecia areata, LFT liver function test
aInfant, birth to 1.999; child, 2 to 12; adolescent, 13 to 18