A Novel Hope for Alopecia Totalis Patients: Case Report

November 2020 in “ Dubai medical journal ”

Mohamed A. Elsayed, Laila Al Otaibi, Nael Quraishy, Afzalhussein Yusufali

alopecia totalis tofacitinib Janus kinase inhibitor JAK inhibitor hair regrowth AT

Studysummary This case report described a 24-year-old with alopecia totalis who saw full scalp hair regrowth by the 9th month while using oral tofacitinib, which was well-tolerated and did not show serious adverse effects. Longer-term studies are needed to confirm its overall effectiveness for alopecia totalis. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This case report described the treatment of a 24-year-old female patient with alopecia totalis (AT) using tofacitinib, a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor. The patient, who also had juvenile chronic arthritis, had not responded satisfactorily to other treatments over 3 years. She was administered tofacitinib 5 mg orally twice a day, resulting in noticeable hair regrowth starting from the 4th week and full regrowth by the 9th month, with no serious adverse effects. The findings suggested that tofacitinib could be an effective and well-tolerated treatment for AT, though larger studies were recommended to confirm its long-term efficacy.