Welcome

An introduction to the learning zone with Dr Brett King

Meet expert dermatologist Dr Brett King

Brett King MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, specialises in skin diseases recalcitrant to first-line therapies. Dr King has pioneered the use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in the treatment of alopecia areata and other skin conditions. Dr King will provide expert insight into the complex condition that is alopecia areata throughout this learning zone. In addition Dr King will provide coverage of key topics from AAD 2023 including a dicussion around patient burden with a focus on paediatric alopecia.

Alopecia areata (AA) is a form of non-scarring hair loss. Physiologically, it is a complex T-cell-mediated autoimmune condition, where hair follicles prematurely skip from the growing anagen phase to the resting telogen phase, resulting in hair loss¹. It affects people of all ages, including children and adolescents².

This Alopecia areata Learning Zone aims to educate healthcare professionals (HCP) on:

• Unmet medical needs for AA, such as more effective treatments suitable for long-term use
• Timely AA management by highlighting the lived burden of AA
• Treatment planning for adult patients with severe AA, by describing the pathophysiology underpinning autoimmunity in AA, and the emerging role of treatment with JAK inhibitors

Short, informative videos complement the written content. Watch Lynn Wilks, a patient with AA, discuss her lived experience of AA, and her honest messages for clinicians for management of this condition.

References

1. Simakou T, Butcher JP, Reid S, Henriquez FL. Alopecia areata: A multifactorial autoimmune condition. J Autoimmun. 2019;98:74–85.
2. Harries M, Macbeth AE, Holmes S, et al. The epidemiology of alopecia areata: a population-based cohort study in UK primary care. Br J Dermatol. 2022;186(2):257–265.