Use of cyproterone acetate, finasteride, and spironolactone to treat idiopathic hirsutism.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of cyproterone acetate, finasteride, and spironolactone in the treatment of idiopathic hirsutism.

DESIGN: Prospective randomized clinical study.

SETTING: University hospital.

PATIENT(S): Forty-one women (median age, 21 years [range, 18-34 years]) with idiopathic hirsutism who had requested to use an oral contraceptive.

INTERVENTION(S): Patients were randomly assigned to receive cyproterone acetate (12.5 mg/d for the first 10 days of the cycle), finasteride (5 mg/d), or spironolactone (100 mg/d) for 12 months. Follow-up was done at the end of therapy.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Ferriman-Gallwey score before treatment, at 6 and 12 months of treatment, and 1 year after the end of treatment, and androgenic profile before and after treatment.

RESULT(S): At the end of therapy, the Ferriman-Gallwey score decreased by 38.9%, 38.6%, and 38.5% in patients who used cyproterone acetate, finasteride, and spironolactone, respectively. One year after therapy, the Ferriman-Gallwey score of patients who used spironolactone was significantly lower (6.74 +/- 1.41) than that of patients who used either cyproterone acetate (7.92 +/- 1.08), or finasteride (9.08 +/- 0.99). The androgenic profile did not change significantly during treatment.

CONCLUSION(S): In patients with idiopathic hirsutism, the short-term results of treatment with cyproterone acetate, finasteride, and spironolactone are similar, but spironolactone is effective for a longer time.