An American study revealed that a drug used to treat arthritis and Crohn's disease, "upadacitinib," may be effective in reversing hair loss caused by alopecia areata.
The results showed that more than half of the patients who were suffering from baldness regained almost all of their head hair after six months of treatment.
This medication works by suppressing the immune system's activity to prevent it from attacking hair follicles, the mechanism that causes hair loss in alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles , causing hair loss in smooth, round or oval patches on the scalp, beard, or other parts of the body. It is not contagious.
It can affect men and women of any age, but nearly half of cases begin in childhood. The exact cause is unknown, but dermatologists suggest previous infections and stress as potential triggers. It has also been linked to thyroid disease, vitiligo, and type 1 diabetes. While there is currently no cure, about four out of five patients with limited hair loss have a good chance of spontaneous regrowth within a year without treatment, while this chance drops to one in ten for those who lose more than half or all of their hair.
The study's findings are based on two large international trials, led by dermatologists at Brigham and Women's Hospital, involving approximately 1,400 patients aged between 12 and 64, all suffering from severe alopecia areata in which hair loss had persisted for up to eight years, with no signs of spontaneous hair regrowth during the six months prior to the study.
The participants were randomly divided into three groups: one group received 15 mg of the drug daily, another received 30 mg daily, and a third group received a placebo.
After 24 weeks, approximately 45% of low-dose users and 55% of high-dose users achieved at least 80% hair coverage on the scalp, compared to only 3.4% in the placebo group, with the majority of patients showing significant improvement within two months of starting treatment. About one in five patients who took the high dose regained all their hair after six months, and others experienced improvements in eyebrow and eyelash growth and overall quality of life.
The most common side effects were acne, upper respiratory infections, and flu-like symptoms, with no new safety concerns identified during the trial.
The team wrote in the journal JAMA Dermatology that the drug represents a promising treatment option for this category of patients.
