Two Cases in Which Tofacitinib Effectively Treated Both Ulcerative Colitis and Alopecia Areata

June 2020 in “ Clinical Journal of Gastroenterology ”

Oki Kikuchi, Daisuke Saito, Miki Miura, Haruka Wada, Ryo Ozaki, Sotaro Tokunaga, Shintaro Minowa, Masahiro Fukuyama, Tatsuya Mitsui, Akihito Sakuraba, Mari Hayashida, Jun Miyoshi, Minoru Matsuura, Manabu Ohyama, Tadakazu Hisamatsu

tofacitinib alopecia areata ulcerative colitis Xeljanz

TLDR Tofacitinib effectively treated both ulcerative colitis and alopecia areata in two patients.

The document described two cases where tofacitinib (TOF) was used to treat both ulcerative colitis (UC) and alopecia areata. In the first case, a 40-year-old woman with UC and alopecia areata showed improvement in her symptoms 3 days after starting TOF, achieving clinical remission by day 14, and her alopecia areata improved completely during maintenance therapy. In the second case, a 19-year-old man with a history of alopecia areata and UC experienced symptom improvement 7 days after TOF administration, achieving clinical remission by day 20, with hair regrowth beginning 14 days after starting TOF. These cases highlighted TOF's potential effectiveness in treating both conditions simultaneously.

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Research cited in this study

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A man with complete hair loss and ulcerative colitis regrew hair after treatment with azathioprine.

research Tofacitinib 2% Ointment, a Topical Janus Kinase Inhibitor, for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata: A Pilot Study of 10 Patients

48 citations , November 2017 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Tofacitinib 2% ointment helped hair regrow in 3 out of 10 patients with alopecia areata, but caused side effects like scalp irritation and raised cholesterol in some.

$Oral Tofacitinib Monotherapy in Korean Patients with Refractory Moderate-to-Severe Alopecia Areata: A Case Series$

research Oral Tofacitinib Monotherapy in Korean Patients with Refractory Moderate-to-Severe Alopecia Areata: A Case Series

44 citations , October 2017 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Tofacitinib is effective and safe for treating severe hair loss in Korean patients.

research Treatment of Alopecia Areata With Tofacitinib

78 citations , March 2017 in “JAMA Dermatology”

Tofacitinib helped regrow hair in people with severe alopecia, but side effects occurred and benefits stopped after treatment ended.

research Safety and Efficacy of the JAK Inhibitor Tofacitinib Citrate in Patients with Alopecia Areata

222 citations , September 2016 in “JCI insight”

Tofacitinib is safe and effective for severe alopecia areata, but hair loss may return 2 months after stopping treatment.

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8 citations , January 2015 in “World Journal of Gastroenterology”

Hair loss is common in IBD patients, and some medications may lower the risk.

research Alopecia Universalis Successfully Treated With Adalimumab

37 citations , October 2014 in “JAMA dermatology”

A woman with severe hair loss was successfully treated with the drug adalimumab.

research Alopecia Areata Is Driven by Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes and Is Reversed by JAK Inhibition

701 citations , August 2014 in “Nature medicine”

Alopecia areata can be reversed by JAK inhibitors, promoting hair regrowth.

research Ulcerative Colitis and Total Alopecia in a Mother and Her Son

23 citations , April 1993 in “Gastroenterology”

A mother and son both had ulcerative colitis and alopecia, suggesting a genetic link in autoimmune disorders and successful treatment with cyclosporine.

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