At The Crossroads Of Two Alopecias: Androgenetic Alopecia Pattern Of Hair Regrowth In Patients With Alopecia Areata Treated With Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitors

April 2020 in “ JAAD case reports ”

Katerina Yale, Aunna Pourang, Maksim V. Plikus, Natasha Atanaskova Mesinkovska

alopecia areata androgenetic alopecia Janus kinase inhibitors JAK inhibitors hair regrowth bitemporal recession follicular caliber histology

Studysummary This article discusses the autoimmune causes of alopecia areata and reports no new clinical results.

Our plain-language summary. Not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing treatment. Full disclaimer

This case series examines the hair regrowth patterns of five men with alopecia areata who were treated with oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. While all patients experienced remarkable hair regrowth, they also demonstrated an unexpected yet notable remnant hair loss in a bitemporal recession pattern, similar to androgenetic alopecia. The study suggests that JAK inhibitors may not be as beneficial in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia as previously hypothesized. The observations are limited by the small sample size and lack of assessment of follicular caliber and histology.

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Research cited in this study

4 / 4 results

research JAK Inhibitors for Alopecia Areata: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

130 citations , February 2019 in “JEADV. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology/Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology”

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This study found that JAK inhibitors promote hair regrowth in both mice and human alopecia areata cases by blocking key immune pathways involved in disease development.

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