September is Alopecia Awareness Month! Alopecia is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks hair follicles, resulting in hair loss. The progression of alopecia varies from person to person where some people have only one episode of hair loss and others experience multiple.
An estimated 7 million people suffer from alopecia. Although there is no cure, steroids, and topical treatments are sometimes used to manage symptoms. Recently, two new medications were also approved to treat those with severe alopecia—baricitinib and ritlecitinib. These medications are both Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, which target and disrupt cellular signals related to inflammation. JAK inhibitors are used to treat a variety of inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. In fact, baricitinib was previously approved for rheumatoid arthritis before showing efficacy in treating alopecia in a new clinical trial.
We see time and time again the overlap between different autoimmune diseases and their treatments. Many existing treatments target inflammatory pathways that exist in multiple autoimmune conditions, but a clinical trial is required before the FDA will approve the treatment for a specific autoimmune disease. This is why many patients use off-label medications for their conditions, where we sometimes see Sjogren's patients using medications approved for rheumatoid arthritis or lupus and MS patients using immunosuppressants originally designed to prevent rejection of organ transplants.
There is also evidence of an association between alopecia and celiac disease, with a significantly higher rate of celiac disease found in patients in alopecia. There have also been case studies of alopecia patients, who after eliminating gluten from their diet experienced regrowth of their hair.
In honor of Alopecia Awareness Month, share your story by making a video here! You can also share your story anonymously by selecting anonymous mode.
To support our work, please join our registry or share it with a friend who has an autoimmune condition. Donations are also greatly appreciated!
