# Case Report: Successful treatment of pediatric alopecia universalis with ritlecitinib after failure of baricitinib

## TL;DR

A child with severe hair loss was successfully treated with ritlecitinib after another drug failed, offering hope for better pediatric treatments.

## Contribution

First reported case of ritlecitinib successfully treating a pediatric alopecia areata patient after baricitinib failure.

## Key findings

- Switching to ritlecitinib led to favorable clinical outcomes in a pediatric patient.
- The case suggests ritlecitinib may be a more effective treatment option for severe pediatric alopecia areata.
- This case provides insight into alternative therapies for children with treatment-resistant alopecia areata.

## Abstract

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.