148 citations
,
March 2022 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” In two phase 3 trials, this study found that oral baricitinib significantly improved hair regrowth compared to placebo in adults with severe alopecia areata after 36 weeks, though longer trials are needed to ascertain its long-term efficacy and safety.
48 citations
,
April 2021 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” This study found that topical corticosteroids are the most supported first-line treatment for pediatric alopecia areata, with contact immunotherapy as the next best option.
138 citations
,
March 2021 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” This study found that treatment with ritlecitinib or brepocitinib was effective in improving scalp hair loss for patients with alopecia areata over 24 weeks compared to placebo.
26 citations
,
October 2020 in “Pediatric Dermatology” This study found that oral tofacitinib led to clinically significant improvement in alopecia areata severity scores among pre-adolescents, though results varied and further evaluation in clinical trials is needed.
12 citations
,
August 2020 in “JEADV. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology/Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” This study found that most chronic alopecia areata patients treated with azathioprine, methotrexate, or cyclosporine continued treatment for at least 12 months, often requiring concurrent low-dose prednisolone.
13 citations
,
April 2020 in “Dermatology and therapy” This systematic review assessed cyclosporine's effectiveness with or without corticosteroids for treating alopecia areata, finding combined therapy more effective and with a lower recurrence rate than monotherapy, especially for severe cases, though results varied by alopecia type.
37 citations
,
December 2019 in “Giornale italiano di dermatologia e venereologia” This Italian guideline discusses the diagnosis and treatment of alopecia areata but reports no new clinical trial results; the authors highlight the need for well-designed studies.
1 citations
,
November 2019 in “International Journal of Dermatology” This correspondence discusses the treatment of alopecia universalis in a 6-year-old girl using simvastatin/ezetimibe, minoxidil, and prednisolone, but it reports no new clinical findings.
54 citations
,
September 2019 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” This study found that tofacitinib shows reasonable effectiveness for treating alopecia areata with mild adverse effects, although more large-scale randomized trials are needed to fully assess its safety and efficacy.
10 citations
,
July 2019 in “Indian Journal of Dermatology” This study found that azathioprine pulse therapy and betamethasone both effectively managed alopecia areata with similar hair regrowth results, though betamethasone had significantly more side effects, suggesting azathioprine as a preferable alternative to corticosteroids.
44 citations
,
April 2019 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” This study observed that cyclosporine showed a trend toward improving alopecia areata symptoms compared to placebo, but the difference was not statistically significant.
130 citations
,
February 2019 in “JEADV. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology/Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” This study found that JAK inhibitors for alopecia areata showed promising response rates, with 72.4% of 289 cases responding, and oral administration achieving better outcomes than topical treatment, but recurrence occurred when treatment stopped. Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm these findings.
39 citations
,
January 2019 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” In this study, three children with severe alopecia treated with systemic tofacitinib showed significant hair regrowth, suggesting it may be a potential option for those unresponsive to conventional therapy.
95 citations
,
November 2018 in “Australasian journal of dermatology” This consensus statement outlines a treatment algorithm for alopecia areata, discussing when to consider systemic treatment and how to assess outcomes, without providing new clinical results.
41 citations
,
September 2018 in “Australasian journal of dermatology” This review suggests that oral prednisolone pulse therapy and oral inosiplex may be effective for alopecia areata, but robust evidence from randomized controlled trials is lacking, highlighting the need for better-designed future studies.
40 citations
,
September 2018 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” This letter discusses the emerging use of Janus kinase inhibitors, specifically oral tofacitinib, for treating alopecia areata in children, but reports no new clinical findings.
10 citations
,
January 2018 in “International Journal of Trichology” In this study, researchers retrospectively analyzed five children with extensive and refractory alopecia areata treated with mesalazine, observing complete hair regrowth in all patients without side effects, suggesting potential benefits of this treatment combination, though controlled studies are needed for confirmation.
182 citations
,
December 2017 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” This article reviews current and emerging treatments for alopecia areata, including Janus kinase inhibitors, highlighting variability in clinical outcomes and the lack of sustained remission.
28 citations
,
October 2017 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” Pediatric alopecia areata is rare, affecting more girls than boys, and peaks at ages 9-12.
47 citations
,
June 2017 in “Journal of dermatology” This review highlights the diverse prognoses and limited long-term efficacy of current alopecia areata treatments, discussing existing and emerging therapies—including biologics—and proposing an algorithmic management approach based on specific disease characteristics.
22 citations
,
June 2017 in “Journal of dermatological treatment” This case series observed that 57% of pediatric patients with alopecia areata experienced significant hair regrowth with methotrexate treatment, which was generally safe, although some results were inconclusive due to follow-up issues.
15 citations
,
May 2017 in “JEADV. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology/Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” This article is a letter to the editor about high-dose pulsed corticosteroid therapy combined with methotrexate for severe childhood alopecia areata and provides no new clinical results.
49 citations
,
March 2017 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” This case series found that oral tofacitinib treatment in eight adolescents with alopecia universalis led to significant regrowth of hair, though relapse is likely after stopping therapy.
14 citations
,
January 2017 in “Skin appendage disorders” This study reported that oral simvastatin/ezetimibe therapy was ineffective for treating alopecia areata, with 67% of participants experiencing no hair regrowth. Additionally, 24% of patients experienced adverse effects, including myalgia, highlighting the need to weigh potential risks against questionable benefits.
139 citations
,
November 2016 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” In this retrospective review, tofacitinib treatment was associated with clinically significant hair regrowth in most adolescent patients with alopecia areata, though limitations suggest further studies are needed to confirm these findings.
31 citations
,
April 2016 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” Oral dexamethasone may help regrow hair in adults with alopecia totalis and universalis.
25 citations
,
June 2015 in “Acta dermato-venereologica” Methotrexate can help some kids with severe hair loss regrow hair.
21 citations
,
January 2013 in “Annals of dermatology/Annals of Dermatology” In this study, combination therapy with cyclosporine and PUVA for severe alopecia areata resulted in a majority of patients showing only fair to poor responses, though some improvements were noted.
218 citations
,
April 2012 in “British Journal of Dermatology” This updated guideline from the British Association of Dermatologists discusses current recommendations for managing alopecia areata but reports no new clinical research findings.
27 citations
,
May 2011 in “Journal of dermatology” In this study, methylprednisolone pulse therapy was found to be effective for severe alopecia areata patients, especially those with a short disease duration or plurifocal type.
70 citations
,
April 2011 in “British journal of dermatology/British journal of dermatology, Supplement” This retrospective study found that methotrexate had variable efficacy in treating severe alopecia areata in children, with successful hair regrowth observed in five out of thirteen assessable cases.
17 citations
,
November 2009 in “Dermato-endocrinology” This study found that a series of three monthly courses of medium-dose prednisolone pulse therapy was effective and well tolerated in most patients with active, multifocal alopecia areata but not in those with totalis/universalis.
43 citations
,
November 2009 in “Archives of dermatology” This study found that alefacept showed no significant improvement in treating severe alopecia areata compared to placebo over a 24-week period.
45 citations
,
July 2008 in “International Journal of Dermatology” This study found that oral sulfasalazine led to varying hair regrowth outcomes in patients with persistent alopecia areata, with 56.3% showing moderate to good responses.
8 citations
,
January 2008 in “Annals of Dermatology” This study concluded that combining systemic cyclosporine A with low-dose corticosteroids effectively treats severe alopecia areata while maintaining safe cyclosporine A levels in the blood.
97 citations
,
January 2006 in “Dermatology” This study found that intramuscular triamcinolone acetonide or pulse therapy effectively treats alopecia areata with manageable side effects, but further strategies are needed to reduce relapse rates.
141 citations
,
February 2005 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” In this study, oral prednisolone pulse therapy led to significant hair regrowth in some patients with extensive alopecia areata, whereas no improvement was seen in the placebo group.
182 citations
,
October 2003 in “British Journal of Dermatology” These guidelines for alopecia areata management, prepared by the British Association of Dermatologists, provide evidence-based treatment recommendations and insights into the condition's epidemiology, diagnosis, and investigation.
62 citations
,
April 2002 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” In this study, sulfasalazine treatment resulted in cosmetically acceptable hair regrowth in 23% of patients with severe alopecia areata in whom a response could be determined.
21 citations
,
March 2002 in “PubMed” This study found that monthly high-dose steroid pulse therapy for approximately six months was effective and well-tolerated in Taiwanese patients with severe multifocal alopecia areata.
30 citations
,
August 1998 in “International Journal of Dermatology” This study found that systemic corticosteroids led to satisfactory hair regrowth in 38.9% of severe alopecia areata patients, but hair fall occurred upon therapy discontinuation or tapering.
117 citations
,
February 1996 in “International Journal of Dermatology” This study found that monthly oral prednisolone pulses of 300 mg were effective and safe for treating widespread alopecia areata, with 58.3% of patients achieving cosmetically acceptable hair growth.