TLDR Tofacitinib treatment significantly improved a patient's psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and alopecia universalis.
In the case report from 2020, a male patient with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and alopecia universalis (AU) experienced significant improvement in all three conditions after treatment with the oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor tofacitinib. Initially, the patient's psoriasis was controlled with ciclosporin, and his psoriatic arthritis was managed with salazopyrine. However, he developed alopecia areata (AA), which progressed to AU despite treatment with ciclosporin and methotrexate. After starting tofacitinib at a dosage of 5 mg twice daily, the patient saw almost complete hair regrowth on the scalp and partial regrowth on the eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, and chest within 10 months. Additionally, his psoriasis nearly cleared, and he had no joint complaints, leading to the cessation of salazopyrine. This case suggests that JAK inhibitors like tofacitinib may be a viable treatment option for patients with concurrent dermatological and rheumatological diseases.
17 citations,
January 2019 in “Dermatologic Therapy” Tofacitinib is effective and safe for long-term treatment of severe alopecia areata, with many patients achieving complete hair regrowth.
44 citations,
April 2017 in “International Journal of Dermatology” No treatment is completely effective for alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis.
355 citations,
January 2017 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” JAK inhibitors show promise for treating skin conditions like eczema, hair loss, and psoriasis.
421 citations,
April 2012 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition causing hair loss with no cure and treatments that often don't work well.
Tofacitinib helped a woman with total-body hair loss grow her hair back.
1 citations,
September 2022 in “International Journal of Trichology” Tofacitinib can be effective in treating hair loss caused by alopecia areata.
2 citations,
September 2021 in “Curēus” Tofacitinib may be safe for COVID-19 patients with alopecia without worsening symptoms, based on two cases.
4 citations,
July 2018 in “PubMed” Oral and topical tofacitinib can help regrow hair in people with severe alopecia areata.
16 citations,
July 2017 in “Rheumatology and Therapy” Tofacitinib, a medication for arthritis, showed potential for treating severe hair loss in a small Brazilian case series, but more research is needed.
16 citations,
January 2017 in “Acta dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica (Tiskana izd.)” A patient with complete hair loss regrew all her hair using tofacitinib.
5 citations,
June 2015 in “Veterinary dermatology” A dog with complete hair loss regrew most hair after treatment, with no relapse after stopping treatment.
39 citations,
April 2003 in “Australasian journal of dermatology” PUVA treatment led to significant hair regrowth in over half of the patients with alopecia areata totalis and universalis.
