Treatment of Alopecia Areata in Pre-Adolescent Children with Oral Tofacitinib: A Retrospective Study

    October 2020 in “ Pediatric Dermatology
    Rebekka Jerjen, Nekma Meah, Lara Trindade de Carvalho, Dmitri Wall, Samantha Eisman, Rodney Sinclair
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    TLDR Oral tofacitinib may effectively treat hair loss in children with alopecia areata.
    In a retrospective study at Sinclair Dermatology in Melbourne, Australia, 14 pre-adolescent children aged 7 to 11 with alopecia areata were treated with oral tofacitinib. After an average of 9 months, 9 patients showed clinically significant improvement in their Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) scores, with 3 achieving complete remission and 7 showing over 50% improvement. The median SALT score improvement was 67.7%. While the results suggest that tofacitinib could be an effective treatment for AA in pre-adolescents, the study's limitations, such as its small sample size, retrospective nature, lack of a control group, potential referral bias, and the concomitant use of other medications like oral minoxidil, indicate that further research is necessary to confirm these findings.
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       7 upvotes 8 years ago
      A woman who has been experiencing hair loss for several years, and her question of whether there is any benefit to getting a biopsy to check if it's AGA or diffuse alopecia areata when no cure or very effective treatment exists. Treatments such as spironolactone and Minoxidil/finasteride/RU58841 have previously been discussed.

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      in Chat  34 upvotes 2 months ago
      Key treatments for hair preservation include minoxidil, finasteride/dutasteride, and microneedling, with additional options like specific shampoos, oils, biotin, zinc, tretinoin, clascoterone, and low-level laser therapy. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, reducing stress, and addressing nutrient deficiencies can also support hair health.

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      in Treatment  2 upvotes 3 years ago
      A user with alopecia totalis, borderline universalis, seeks advice on getting into a Xeljanz trial or appealing insurance for coverage. They experienced significant hair regrowth but are now seeing hair loss again and want to try Xeljanz.

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