TLDR Tofacitinib helps improve skin conditions in people with Down syndrome, especially alopecia areata.
Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) often experience immune skin conditions due to hyperactive interferon (IFN) responses and JAK/STAT signaling. An open-label clinical trial tested the JAK inhibitor Tofacitinib in 10 participants with DS aged 12-50, who had moderate-to-severe alopecia areata (AA), hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and/or vitiligo. Participants received 5 mg of Tofacitinib twice daily for 16 weeks. The treatment was well tolerated, significantly reducing IFN and cytokine scores (p<0.05). Skin pathology improved in 7 of 10 participants, with 5 of 6 AA patients showing hair regrowth. Tofacitinib is a promising treatment for DS-related immune skin conditions, particularly AA, though further research is needed for HS.
Tofacitinib helped a woman with total-body hair loss grow her hair back.
October 2022 in “Journal of Armed Forces Medical College, Bangladesh” Tofacitinib is effective and safe for treating alopecia areata.
1 citations,
September 2022 in “International Journal of Trichology” Tofacitinib can be effective in treating hair loss caused by alopecia areata.
4 citations,
July 2018 in “PubMed” Oral and topical tofacitinib can help regrow hair in people with severe alopecia areata.
24 citations,
January 2018 in “International Journal of Trichology” Tofacitinib helped regrow hair in patients with alopecia, with few side effects.
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.
