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Hair loss New agent discovered for regrowth of hair
Hair loss is a widespread problem in today's society. The reasons for hair loss are manifold. An autoimmune disease called alopecia areata sometimes causes hair loss. Researchers have now found that treatment with ruxolitinib in patients can lead to significant hair regrowth.
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers found that approximately 75 percent of patients with moderate to severe alopecia areata experienced significant hair regrowth after ruxolitinib treatment. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Journal of Clinical Investigation / Insight".
When we suffer from hair loss, our self-esteem often suffers. Researchers have now found that a drug in many people with alopecia areata leads to regrowth of hair. (Image: Kurhan / fotolia.com) The average hair regrowth was up to 92 percent
Early hair loss can be a major psychological burden for sufferers. The autoimmune disease alopecia areata can cause severe hair loss. But there seems to be a simple solution to this problem. A drug that is normally used to treat certain bone marrow diseases can lead to significant regrowth of hair, the researchers say. By the end of treatment, the average hair regrowth was up to 92 percent.
Ruxolitinib can help some people with hair loss
The new study found that so-called JAK inhibitors can be an effective treatment for people with alopecia areata, explains Professor Julian Mackay-Wiggan of Columbia University Medical Center. The drug Ruxolitinib, for example, achieved good results in the treatment of hair loss. For some time now doctors are looking for new therapies that help with hair loss. The findings now could help many people in the world with hair loss.
The autoimmune disease alopecia areata affects women and men
This is encouraging news for patients to cope with the physical and emotional effects of this disfiguring autoimmune disease, scientists say. Alopecia areata is the second most common form of hair loss and can occur at any age. The autoimmune disease affects women and men alike, add the experts.
Alopecia areata can also lead to facial and body hair loss
The disease usually causes hair loss on the scalp. Some patients also suffer from facial and body hair loss. For a long time there was no known form of treatment that can restore lost hair, explain the authors.
Drug can resurrect dormant follicles
During the study, researchers identified specific immune cells and the dominant inflammatory signaling pathways that attack human hair follicles. Experiments with hair follicles from mice and humans showed that topical and oral drugs inhibit the so-called Janus kinases of enzymes, explain the specialists. Thus, dormant follicles are revived by blocking inflammatory signaling pathways.
Overall, subjects were monitored for a maximum of nine months
During the small study, the researchers studied patients with moderate to severe alopecia areata (more than 30 percent hair loss). All patients were dosed orally with 20mg ruxolitinib twice daily. The treatment went on for a period of three to six months, explain the doctors. Thereafter, the participants were monitored for an additional three months to assess the durability of the treatment.
In a large number of subjects Ruxolitinib led to an offspring of hair
The small so-called open-label study examined a total of twelve patients with alopecia areata. In nine of the patients regrowth of 50 percent or more of the hair was observed. In 77 percent of the subjects successfully treated by the therapy, a hair growth rate of more than 95 percent could be determined, the scientists say.
No side effects observed
However, one-third of these successfully treated subjects had significant hair loss during the so-called follow-up period after stopping the drug. However, this hair loss did not exceed hair loss before treatment. The drug was tolerated by all participants without serious adverse effects, the researchers explain. (As)