The Use of Tofacitinib in the Treatment of Immune-Mediated Universal Alopecia in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report

In a case report from 2021, a 31-year-old female patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who had been suffering from the disease for six years developed universal alopecia and an exacerbation of polyarthritis that was unresponsive to standard treatments. The patient began treatment with 5 mg of tofacitinib twice daily alongside hydroxychloroquine, which led to a total improvement in arthritis and a partial improvement in alopecia within four months. Significant hair regrowth was observed in the eyebrows, eyelashes, axillary, and pubic areas. No adverse events related to tofacitinib were reported. The case suggests that targeting Janus kinase (JAK) with tofacitinib is a promising therapeutic approach for SLE and immune-mediated universal alopecia, demonstrating rapid action and a good safety profile. However, the report calls for more extensive studies to confirm these results.