The Alopecia Areata Investigator Global Assessment Scale: A Measure for Evaluating Clinically Meaningful Success in Clinical Trials

January 2020 in “ British Journal of Dermatology ”

Kathleen W. Wyrwich, Helen Kitchen, S.L. Knight, Natalie V. J. Aldhouse, Jake Macey, Fabio P. Nunes, Yves Dutronc, Natasha Atanaskova Mesinkovska, Justin Ko, Brett King

alopecia areata Alopecia Areata Investigator Global Assessment scalp-hair loss eyebrow involvement eyelash involvement patient-focused drug development AA AA-IGA hair loss FDA

TLDR The AA-IGA scale reliably measures treatment success in alopecia areata by considering both clinician and patient views.

The study developed the Alopecia Areata Investigator Global Assessment (AA-IGA) scale to evaluate treatment success in alopecia areata (AA) by incorporating both clinician and patient perspectives. It involved 30 patients with ≥ 50% scalp-hair loss and 10 expert dermatologists. The AA-IGA is an ordinal measure with five severity categories, reflecting distinct gradations of scalp-hair loss. Treatment success was perceived as achieving ≤ 20% scalp-hair loss, with most patients considering 70-90% regrowth as successful. The study confirmed the AA-IGA as a reliable measure, aligning with the FDA's emphasis on patient-focused drug development, though it was limited by its focus on U.S. adults and overrepresentation of patients with eyebrow/eyelash involvement.

View this study on onlinelibrary.wiley.com →

Discuss this study in the Community →

Research cited in this study

9 / 9 results

research Rethinking The Classification Of Alopecia Areata

13 citations , September 2018 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

The document concludes that a new system using the SALT score should replace the current alopecia areata classification for better accuracy in assessing severity and prognosis.

research Objective Outcome Measures: Collecting Meaningful Data on Alopecia Areata

39 citations , November 2017 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

The document suggests using standardized methods to track and measure hair loss in alopecia areata, including patient self-assessment and a 50% improvement in specific scores as a treatment goal.

research The Changing Landscape of Alopecia Areata: The Therapeutic Paradigm

77 citations , June 2017 in “Advances in Therapy”

New treatments for Alopecia Areata, like JAK inhibitors, show promise for hair regrowth and are likely to change future treatment approaches.

research Factors Associated With Severity Of Alopecia Areata

63 citations , January 2017 in “Annals of Dermatology”

More research is needed to understand alopecia areata severity.

research Tofacitinib for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata and Variants in Adolescents

139 citations , November 2016 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Tofacitinib helped regrow hair in most adolescents with alopecia areata, but more research is needed.

research Tofacitinib for the Treatment of Severe Alopecia Areata and Variants: A Study of 90 Patients

238 citations , November 2016 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Tofacitinib is effective and safe for severe hair loss, but full regrowth is less likely after 10 years of hair loss.

research Safety and Efficacy of the JAK Inhibitor Tofacitinib Citrate in Patients with Alopecia Areata

222 citations , September 2016 in “JCI insight”

Tofacitinib is safe and effective for severe alopecia areata, but hair loss may return 2 months after stopping treatment.

research Oral Ruxolitinib Induces Hair Regrowth in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Alopecia Areata

196 citations , September 2016 in “JCI insight”

Ruxolitinib effectively regrows hair in most patients with severe hair loss.

research Current Treatment of Alopecia Areata

71 citations , December 2013 in “The journal of investigative dermatology. Symposium proceedings/The Journal of investigative dermatology symposium proceedings”

There are no FDA-approved treatments for Alopecia Areata, and current options have varying success and relapse rates.

Semantic ratio: 80%