Nail Involvement in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Alopecia Areata Treated with Oral Tofacitinib

April 2018 in “ Journal of Dermatological Treatment ”

Ji Su Lee, Chang Hun Huh, Oh Sang Kwon, Hyun Sun Yoon, Soyun Cho, Hyun Sun Park

tofacitinib alopecia areata nail involvement hair regrowth Xeljanz

From the encyclopedia

Tofacitinib →

a JAK inhibitor for alopecia areata and other autoimmune conditions

Alopecia Areata →

autoimmune disorder causing patchy hair loss

Studysummary This study found that oral tofacitinib monotherapy improved nail changes in 73.3% of adults with moderate-to-severe alopecia areata over a median period of 5 months, but nail improvement was not linked to the severity of hair loss or hair regrowth.

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The study examined the impact of oral tofacitinib on nail conditions in 33 adult patients with moderate-to-severe alopecia areata (AA), treated for at least 4 months. It found that 15 of these patients had nail involvement and more severe hair loss, but hair regrowth was similar between those with and without nail issues. Notably, 73.3% of patients with nail involvement experienced improvement in their nail condition, typically starting around 5 months after beginning treatment. The improvement in nails was independent of the severity of hair loss or the hair's response to tofacitinib. The study concluded that tofacitinib is effective for treating nail involvement in AA and that the presence of nail issues does not predict a worse outcome for hair regrowth. Nail improvements generally occurred after hair regrowth began.

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Research cited in this study

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