Upadacitinib for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata – A Case Report

November 2023 in “ Dermatologica sinica/Zhōnghuá pífūkē yīxué zázhì ”

Jui-Wen Yeh, Chao‐Chun Yang

upadacitinib alopecia areata JAK1 inhibitor corticosteroids Severity of Alopecia Tool SALT score

TLDR Upadacitinib helped regrow hair in a severe alopecia areata patient but stopping treatment caused hair loss to return.

This case report details the treatment of a 21-year-old female with severe alopecia areata (AA) using upadacitinib, a selective JAK1 inhibitor. Initially, the patient had a Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score of 49%, which worsened to 94% despite corticosteroid treatments. After 2 months of upadacitinib at 15 mg/day, significant hair regrowth was observed, reducing the SALT score to 34%. However, discontinuation of the medication led to rapid relapse, with the SALT score returning to 93% within 2 months. The report highlights the potential of upadacitinib as an effective treatment for AA but also notes the risk of rapid relapse upon discontinuation. Further studies are needed to establish optimal treatment protocols.

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4 / 4 results

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