Tofacitinib for the treatment of alopecia areata and variants in adolescents.
BACKGROUND
There are no reliably effective therapies for alopecia areata (AA).


OBJECTIVE
We sought to evaluate the benefit and adverse effects of the Janus kinase 1/3 inhibitor, tofacitinib, in a series of adolescent patients with AA.


METHODS
We reviewed the records of 13 adolescent patients with AA treated with tofacitinib. Severity of disease was assessed using the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT). Adverse events were evaluated by laboratory monitoring, physical examinations, and review of systems.


RESULTS
Thirteen patients, aged 12 to 17 years, with AA were treated with tofacitinib. Nine patients experienced clinically significant hair regrowth. Median percent change in SALT score was 93% (mean 61%; 1%-100%) at an average of 6.5 months of treatment. Adverse events were mild.


CONCLUSIONS
Limitations include the retrospective nature of the data, small sample size, and lack of a control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Tofacitinib is a promising therapy for AA in adolescents. The use of tofacitinib and other Janus kinase inhibitors for the treatment of AA in this age group should be further evaluated in prospective clinical trials.
Department of Dermatology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Pediatrics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Electronic address: brittany.craiglow@yale.edu.
Brittany G
BG
Craiglow
School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Lucy Y
LY
Liu
Department of Dermatology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Brett A
BA
King
D000293:Adolescent; D000505:Alopecia / Q000188:drug therapy; D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010880:Piperidines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D010880:Piperidines; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011743:Pyrimidines; D011758:Pyrroles; C479163:tofacitinib
Janus kinase; adolescent; alopecia areata; tofacitinib