IJMABHR International Journal of Medical and All Body Health ResearchIJMABHR 2582-8940 Anfo Publication House 537 10.54660/IJMBHR.2026.7.3.263-267 Comparative Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of Oral Finasteride versus Oral Dutasteride in Male Androgenetic Alopecia: An 18-Month Prospective Interventional Study from a Tertiary Care Centre in Uttar Pradesh BhartiAnshuma SaxenaDeepti KumarSundiep SharmaShantanu Postgraduate Resident, Department of Dermatology, Venereology & Leprology, Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, India Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, Venereology & Leprology, Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, India Professor & Head of Department, Department of Dermatology, Venereology & Leprology, Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, India 21082026 7 3 263 267 25062026 23072026 CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a chronic, androgen-dependent disorder driven by dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-mediated follicular miniaturization. Oral finasteride is the established first-line therapy, while dutasteride, which blocks both type I and type II 5-alpha-reductase isoenzymes, is increasingly used off-label. Head-to-head, long-duration data from Indian patients remain scarce. Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of oral finasteride (1 mg/day) and oral dutasteride (0.5 mg/day) in men with AGA at a tertiary care centre in Uttar Pradesh. Methods: In this prospective interventional comparative study, 120 men aged 18–40 years with Hamilton–Norwood grade II–V AGA were allocated to finasteride (n=60) or dutasteride (n=60) and followed for 18 months. Efficacy was assessed by phototrichogram, global photography and patient self-assessment at 6-month intervals; safety was assessed through clinical monitoring and 3-monthly laboratory investigations. Results: Baseline demographic and disease-severity parameters were comparable between groups (p>0.05 for all). Terminal hair density increased from 160.9 to 175.6 hairs/cm² with finasteride (+9.1%) and from 161.4 to 188.9 hairs/cm² with dutasteride (+17.0%; p

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