ABSTRACT
Alopecia areata (AA) is a chronic autoimmune disease of hair loss that can lead to significant disfigurement and cause a detrimental impact on patient well-being that may be independent of objective severity. Prompt treatment is therefore vital in stopping disease progression and reversing hair loss. Two decades of experimental research, using animal models of AA and genome-wide association studies in both mice and humans, have elucidated key mechanisms in AA pathogenesis. The most commonly reported adverse events (AEs) were upper respiratory tract infections. Additional AEs include other infections such as urinary tract infections, herpes zoster, and herpes simplex, as well as mild symptoms such gastrointestinal complaints, headache, acne, fatigue, weight gain, hyper-seborrhoea, anaemia, neutropaenia, and thrombocytopaenia. Patients should be advised about the increased risk of overall infections, especially those of the upper respiratory tract, opportunistic infections, and reactivation of latent infections such as tuberculosis.
