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Refractory alopecia in lupus treated with tofacitinib — a case-based review

  • CASE BASED REVIEW
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Abstract

One of the common cutaneous symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that may have major psychosocial effects in a female is diffuse alopecia. Although Janus kinase inhibitors have shown encouraging results in the treatment of SLE and of alopecia areata in recent studies, tofacitinib in treating refractory alopecia caused by SLE has been rarely documented. The Janus kinases (JAKs) are intracellular tyrosine kinases that play a significant role in the pathophysiology of SLE by participating in a wide range of inflammatory cascades. Here, we reported a 33-year-old SLE patient with long standing (3 years) refractory alopecia who took tofacitinib and observed a substantial increase in hair growth. This was sustained at 2-years follow-up even after tapering off glucocorticoids completely. In addition, we reviewed the literature to look for further evidence to support the use of JAK inhibitors for alopecia in SLE.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Medicine, Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

    Rajdeep Sarkar

  2. Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

    Prakashini MV & Sakir Ahmed

  3. Department of Dermatology, Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

    Naga Hinduja, Mitanjali Sethy & Hemanta Kar

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  1. Rajdeep Sarkar
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  2. Prakashini MV
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  3. Naga Hinduja
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  4. Mitanjali Sethy
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  5. Hemanta Kar
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  6. Sakir Ahmed
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Correspondence to Sakir Ahmed.

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Sarkar, R., MV, P., Hinduja, N. et al. Refractory alopecia in lupus treated with tofacitinib — a case-based review. Clin Rheumatol 42, 2237–2241 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-023-06632-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-023-06632-6

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