Alopecia Universalis and Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Treated With Ruxolitinib

October 2018 in “ JAMA Dermatology ”

Michelle A Borg, Reem Shalabi, Richard Childs, Brian Wells

alopecia universalis chronic graft-versus-host disease ruxolitinib allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation hair regrowth scalp skin cGVHD symptoms hair loss cGVHD Jakafi stem cell transplant hair growth skin symptoms

TLDR Ruxolitinib may help treat hair loss and symptoms in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease.

A case study described a man in his 40s with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) and alopecia universalis following an allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The patient was treated with ruxolitinib, starting at 5 mg every 12 hours and increasing to 10 mg every 12 hours. Over 10 months, the patient showed marked hair regrowth on the scalp and face, as well as improvement in liver function tests and skin cGVHD symptoms. This case suggested that ruxolitinib could be a potential therapy for patients with cGVHD and alopecia universalis, although further studies were needed to confirm these findings.

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