TLDR A patient with alopecia had hair regrowth with tofacitinib but developed a skin reaction, choosing to continue the treatment despite the side effect.
The article reported a case of drug-induced urticaria in a 21-year-old male patient with alopecia universalis (AU) who was treated with tofacitinib, an oral Janus kinase (JAK) 1/3-inhibitor. The patient had a long-standing history of AU and had not responded to previous treatments. After starting tofacitinib, he experienced hair regrowth within 8 weeks. However, after 14 weeks of treatment, he developed intensely pruritic, erythematous, migratory wheals on his forearms and legs, which were managed with oral cetirizine and topical betamethasone dipropionate. Despite the urticarial reaction, the patient chose to continue tofacitinib due to the significant hair regrowth. The article suggests that while tofacitinib shows promise for hair regrowth in AU, clinicians should be aware of the potential for urticarial drug eruptions as an adverse effect. The mechanism by which tofacitinib causes urticaria is not fully understood and warrants further investigation.
53 citations
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355 citations
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January 2017 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” JAK inhibitors show promise for treating skin conditions like eczema, hair loss, and psoriasis.
Tofacitinib helped a woman with total-body hair loss grow her hair back.
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February 2021 in “Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology” Oral tofacitinib helped regrow hair in over half of the patients with severe alopecia, but relapses and side effects were common.
1 citations
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July 2019 in “Medicina Clínica (English Edition)” Tofacitinib partially improved hair regrowth in a patient with severe hair loss.
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May 2017 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” Tofacitinib helped a 19-year-old regrow hair after other treatments failed.
16 citations
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January 2017 in “Acta dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica (Tiskana izd.)” A patient with complete hair loss regrew all her hair using tofacitinib.
