The Effectiveness of Dupilumab in Patients With Alopecia Areata Who Have Atopic Dermatitis The British Journal of Dermatology

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• In this case series, 7 patients with recalcitrant alopecia areata (n=3), alopecia totalis (n=3), or alopecia universalis (n=1) were treated with dupilumab for concomitant atopic dermatitis. All patients had improvement in atopic dermatitis on dupilumab, and 6 (86%) had hair regrowth and improvement in SALT scores. Only 1 patient with alopecia totalis did not have improvement of alopecia while on dupilumab.

• Dupilumab may be an effective treatment consideration for patients with recalcitrant alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis, although further prospective studies are needed to confirm the findings of this small retrospective analysis.

– Caroline K. Crabtree, MD

Abstract:

Alopecia areata (AA) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases; however, the pathogenesis of the condition has yet to be fully elucidated. A recent study reported a case of severe AA associated with atopic dermatitis (AD) that was successfully treated with dupilumab, a monoclonal antibody against the α subunit of interleukin (IL)‐4/IL‐13 receptor.1We retrospectively investigated the clinical response to dupilumab in the treatment of patients with severe AD who also had AA at a single dermatology clinic. The investigation was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) (Tokyo Medical University IRB Protocol T2019‐0105).

The British Journal of Dermatology

The Effectiveness of Dupilumab in Patients With Alopecia Areata Who Have Atopic Dermatitis: A Case Series of Seven Patients

Br J Dermatol 2020 Mar 02;[EPub Ahead of Print], K Harada, R Irisawa, T Ito, M Uchiyama, R Tsuboi