Oral Tofacitinib and Systemic Corticosteroids, Alone or in Combination, in Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Alopecia Areata: A Retrospective Study

The retrospective study involved 61 patients with moderate-to-severe Alopecia Areata (AA) and examined the effectiveness and safety of oral tofacitinib and systemic corticosteroids (SCs), either individually or combined. The patients were divided into three groups: SCs (18 patients), tofacitinib (20 patients), and combined therapy (23 patients). The results indicated no significant difference in hair regrowth among the three groups, but the combined group had the highest percentage of patients achieving 50% and 90% hair regrowth. All treatments were well-tolerated with mild adverse effects. The study also found that the effectiveness decreased in patients with a current episode of AA for more than 2 years, and relapse occurred after stopping therapy in all treatment methods, suggesting the need for maintenance therapy. The study concluded that both individual and combined therapies can be effective for treating moderate-to-severe AA, but larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.