Alopecia areata, 1.2 million Italians with hair and hair loss: there is therapy

It starts with small areas where the hair falls out, areas that then begin to spread out, and often this fall begins to affect the eyebrows and body hair as well. It is alopecia areata, whose name derives from the Greek alopex or fox, because this animal loses its hair in patches. “It is an autoimmune disease that affects 2% of the general population”: in Italy there are 1.2 million people who suffer from it “without sex differences. The peak can arise in the first 40 years of life and the disease also affects children. With an unpredictable course ranging from small hairless patches to complete hair loss and hair loss. Now, after 20 years, we have a new therapy that can change the lives of these patients. ” She explains it to Adnkronos Salute Bianca Maria Piraccini, director of the Dermatology Unit of the Irccs Sant’Orsola of Bologna and president for Emilia Romagna of Sidemast, the Italian society of medical, surgical, aesthetic dermatology and sexually transmitted diseases . Read also Alopecia areata is a genetic and autoimmune disease, and should not be confused with the classic and much more widespread baldness. “They must always be clearly distinguished – specifies Piraccini – Alopecia areata is not due to stress, it has not increased due to the pandemic as some think. It has genetic origins and is an autoimmune disease, which creates a stigma in those affected by an impact. very high psychological level. When you lose your hair, beard or all your hair, and you have to do a job interview, it is not the best – observes the specialist – As well as there are consequences in sentimental and social life. Children who suffer alopecia areata are often bullied at school and must always wear a hat. ” “This is why Sidemast is fighting for it to be recognized as a chronic relapsing autoimmune disease by the National Health Service, so that patients and their care can be taken care of – Piraccini remarks – also to have a refund for wigs, for example” . It is precisely the therapy front that brings good news. “For 20 years we have been waiting for an effective therapy and today there is – highlights the dermatologist – New drugs have been approved for alopecia areata, which reduce inflammation by precisely hitting the target. They are Janus kinase inhibitors ( Jak), which today are already used for other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The trials have given positive results and I hope the Italian drug agency Aifa will give the okay here too soon. They are approved for patients over 18 years with severe forms, with relapses from 6 months to 6 years and which have not had responses with corticosteroids, traditional therapy “.” The data of these new drugs, there are several ready and others will arrive, they tell us – adds Piraccini – that 40% of patients return to normal after a cycle. In some cases it was possible to remove the drug and in others it was necessary to keep it, but with a reduced dose “.