It might not seem like they have much in common. One causes joint pain and swelling, while the other leads to patchy hair.
In both cases, the immune system decided that the body's own cells were a threat and attacked the hair and joints.
A new study has shown that the treatments for both conditions could be similar, with one-third of patients being treated with a drug called baricitinib.
This isn't a silver bullet for those with alopecia areata, but it is an exciting medical development that will hopefully soon be available for patients as a treatment option.
Alopecia areata is a crazy journey, marked by chaos, confusion, and profound sadness for many who suffer from it.
These large, controlled trials tell us that we can alleviate some of the suffering from this terrible disease.
The reason this works is because of aprotein. The immune system is involved in a lot of areas, including the signaling pathway.
The immune response can be toned down with the help of a drug like baricitinib.
The trials were double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, making them the gold standard for analyzing how baricitinib works for those with severe alopecia.
1,200 patients were divided into three groups. The participants were given either a placebo or baricitinib. Over one-third of the patients that got 4 milligrams of baricitinib had hair growth, which was the most dramatic result.
The trial used a Severity of Alopecia Tool to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug. The score goes from 0 to 100 in a single day.
At the start of the trial, all participants had a SALT score of over 50, and by the end of the trial, around 35 percent of the patients had a score of 20 or less.
Around 20 percent of patients on baricitinib had a score of 20 or less.
The primary outcome was a SALT score of 20 or less. The team writes in their study that a SALT score of 20 or less has been identified as a meaningful treatment outcome for patients with severe alopecia areata.
Most patients in whom the primary outcome was met had a SALT score of 10 or less at week 36.
The researchers reported a range of symptoms in the test groups compared to the controls, including worse infections, headaches, and elevated cholesterol levels.
Increased infections have been seen in people using the drug for arthritis because it can disrupt the immune system.
In the new trial, very few participants dropped out due to side effects, suggesting that they were okay.
There is more research to be done to confirm the safety and efficacy over the long term.
Eli Lilly and Company is a pharmaceutical company that manufactures baricitinib, which is currently prescribed for treating rheumatoid arthritis.
The phase three results from this trial have been finalized, and the results look promising, so we could soon be seeing this drug remarketed to treat hair loss as well.
The New England Journal of Medicine published the research.
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