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CASE REPORT article

Front. Med.

Sec. Dermatology

This article is part of the Research TopicUpdate in Trichology and Hair TransplantationView all 6 articles

Case Report: Successful Treatment of Pediatric Alopecia Universalis with Ritlecitinib After Failure of Baricitinib

Provisionally accepted
Xiaoqing LvXiaoqing Lv1,2,3,4,5Ying ChenYing Chen1,2,3,4,5,6Shi-Fan RuanShi-Fan Ruan1,2,3,4,5Qiu-yun XuQiu-yun Xu1,2,3,4,5Jing MaoJing Mao1,2,3,4,5Li ZhuLi Zhu1,2,3,4,5Wenxuan XiaWenxuan Xia1,2,3,4,5Siyi BaoSiyi Bao1,2,3,4,5Zheyu ZhuangZheyu Zhuang1,2,3,4,5Lihong ChenLihong Chen1,2,3,4,5Bo ChengBo Cheng1,2,3,4,5*Chao JiChao Ji1,2,3,4,5*
  • 1Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, 20 Chazhong Road, Fuzhou, Fujian 350000, China, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
  • 2Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer of Fujian higher education institutions, the Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350000, China, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
  • 3Fujian Dermatology and Venereology Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350000, China, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
  • 4Fujian Provincial Clinical Research Center for Immune Skin Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350000, China, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
  • 5Institute of Dermatology and Venereology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350000, China, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
  • 6Departmentof Dermatology, Beijing Anzhen Nanchong Hospital, Capital Medical University & Nanchong Central Hospital, Nanchong,Sichuan, China, Nanchong,Sichuan, China

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Alopecia areata is characterized by difficult treatment and easy recurrence, especially posing significant physical and psychological distress to children. However, current treatment options for Pediatric alopecia areata are relatively limited, with generally poor efficacy and numerous side effects. We report the first case of a Pediatric patient transitioning from baricitinib therapy to ritlecitinib, resulting in favorable clinical outcomes. We believe that the result represent a meaningful advance in our understanding of how to treat children with chronic severe AA and feel that this would be of substantial interest to the broad readership of Frontiers in medicine.

Keywords: alopecia areata1, Alopecia universalis2, Janus Kinase Inhibitors4, Ritlecitinib3, Treatment5

Received: 29 Jul 2025; Accepted: 04 Dec 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Lv, Chen, Ruan, Xu, Mao, Zhu, Xia, Bao, Zhuang, Chen, Cheng and Ji. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Bo Cheng
Chao Ji

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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