Alopecia areata
Non-scarring autoimmune hair loss; exclamation mark hairs, the scarring and tinea mimics, intralesional triamcinolone for patches, and JAK inhibitors (baricitinib, ritlecitinib) for severe disease, which are TGA-registered but not PBS-subsidised for this indication.
Tier 2Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Alopecia areata is T-cell-mediated, non-scarring hair loss. Lifetime risk is about 2%, and most people present before 40.
- Sudden, well-defined round patches with normal skin and exclamation mark hairs at the edge.
- The diagnosis is clinical. Biopsy only when scarring, tinea or another mimic is possible.
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Sources
- Therapeutic Guidelines: Dermatology (hair disorders)AU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Limited (eTG complete), current eTG edition (topic version not verified)
- Systemic treatment of moderate to severe alopecia areata in adults: updated Australian expert consensus statement. Australas J Dermatol 2025AU/NZAustralasian Journal of Dermatology, 2025
- Harries MJ et al. British Association of Dermatologists living guideline for managing people with alopecia areata 2025. Br J Dermatol 2026;194(2):e56-e73British Association of Dermatologists, 2025 (second version of the living guideline; evidence to July 2025)
- Thomas M et al. Criteria for commencing and continuing subsidised Janus kinase inhibitor therapy in Australian alopecia areata patients: results from an Australian expert consensus exercise. Australas J Dermatol 2025;66(7):404-12AU/NZAustralasian Journal of Dermatology, 2025
- King B et al. Two phase 3 trials of baricitinib for alopecia areata (BRAVE-AA1 and BRAVE-AA2). N Engl J Med 2022;386:1687-99New England Journal of Medicine, 2022
- King B et al. Efficacy and safety of ritlecitinib in adults and adolescents with alopecia areata (ALLEGRO phase 2b/3). Lancet 2023;401:1518-29The Lancet, 2023
- Australian Product Information and TGA decision summary: Litfulo (ritlecitinib)AU/NZTherapeutic Goods Administration, 2024
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
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