TLDR Baricitinib is effective for severe alopecia areata but has some side effects.
This retrospective cohort study evaluated the efficacy and safety of baricitinib, a JAK inhibitor, compared to traditional therapies for severe alopecia areata (AA) over 6 months, involving 75 patients. Baricitinib showed promising results, with a significant number of patients achieving a SALT score ≤20, indicating ≤20% scalp hair loss, and outperforming other therapies in hair regrowth. Approximately 30% of baricitinib patients achieved a SALT score ≤20, and nearly 50% reached SALT50, with 26% achieving SALT90. However, baricitinib was associated with adverse effects, including serum lipid elevations in nearly 50% of patients and short-lasting infections in 25%. The study supports baricitinib as a viable treatment for severe AA, though further research is needed to confirm these findings.
2 citations,
January 2023 in “Prague Medical Report” JAK inhibitors, like baricitinib, are effective and safe for treating alopecia areata.
148 citations,
March 2022 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Baricitinib was effective in treating alopecia areata in two major trials.
10 citations,
June 2019 in “Dermatologic therapy” DPCP alone is more effective and safer for treating chronic extensive alopecia areata than combining it with anthralin.
52 citations,
May 2019 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Low-dose oral minoxidil effectively improves male hair loss with mild side effects.
290 citations,
December 2017 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition causing hair loss, influenced by genetics, stress, and diet, and may be prevented by a high soy oil diet.
144 citations,
July 2015 in “Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology” Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune disease affecting about 2% of people, causing significant disability and often associated with mental health issues and other autoimmune conditions.
148 citations,
December 2018 in “Journal of autoimmunity” Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease causing patchy hair loss, often with other autoimmune disorders, but its exact causes are unknown.
4 citations,
November 2018 in “JAAD case reports” Alopecia areata can sometimes appear as a straight line of hair loss instead of round patches.
May 2018 in “Journal of cosmetology & trichology” Combining platelet-rich plasma therapy with prostaglandin-F eye drops can significantly regrow hair in alopecia universalis.
110 citations,
December 2013 in “The journal of investigative dermatology. Symposium proceedings/The Journal of investigative dermatology symposium proceedings” Alopecia areata is a genetic and immune-related hair loss condition that is often associated with other autoimmune diseases and does not typically cause permanent damage to hair follicles.