Alopecia Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alopecia, including details on hair loss, baldness, treatment, causes, prevention.

Treatment of alopecia areata partim universalis with efalizumab.

Kaelin U, Hassan AS, Braathen LR, Yawalkar N

From the Department of Dermatology, University of Bern.

Alopecia areata (AA) is considered an autoimmune disease targeted at hair follicles with T-lymphocytes playing an important role in the pathogenesis. Treatment of AA, particularly the totalis and universalis subtypes, is often difficult and remains a therapeutic challenge. Novel biologic therapies that have been developed for the treatment of other immune-mediated inflammatory skin diseases may represent a new therapeutic modality for this disease. Efalizumab is a humanized monoclonal anti-CD11a antibody that inhibits T-cell activation and migration. We report a case of a 19-year-old man suffering from AA partim universalis, treated with efalizumab monotherapy. The treatment was well tolerated with no reported side effects. The striking improvement warrants further studies with this biologic therapy in AA.

Published 15 August 2006 in J Am Acad Dermatol, 55(3): 529-32.
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