Infectious events in patients with alopecia areata treated with JAK inhibitors: low burden and minimal impact on persistence in treatment

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is a non-scarring disorder characterized by hair loss that greatly affects patients’ quality of life and has a chronic, recurring course. This disease is marked by an inflammatory process, mainly on an autoimmune basis primarily regulated by Janus kinase (JAK). Research design and methods: We conducted a retrospective study evaluating the safety of JAKi in a real-world setting in 91 AA patients, with a specific focus on the assessment of infectious events. Results: Overall, 34 infectious events were observed in 28 patients (30.8%), among them 17 patients (60.7%) suspended treatment with JAKi until the infection was clinically resolved. Only in one case the infectious event led to a permanent discontinuation of the treatment. The data we observed in the study are consistent with results reported in clinical trials. Conclusion: It can be stated that, during treatment with JAKi in AA patients, infectious events may occur, but in most cases these events are easily manageable and do not result in permanent discontinuation of the drug.