Say “So Long!” to Celiac
A patient looking to treat his rheumatoid arthritis and alopecia may have stumbled on a solution to celiac disease, IFLScience reports. While he had previously attempted to reduce his celiac severity by following a gluten-free diet, which led to some remission, when he returned to gluten again he began experiencing symptoms.
At the same time, he began taking off-label Tofacitinib for his alopecia, which also inhibits the enzymes associated with worsening severity of rheumatoid arthritis. When the patient followed up with clinicians, they found his celiac disease was in complete remission, despite returning to a gluten-containing diet.
These results are promising, particularly if they can be replicated on a larger scale, however, the authors of the case study caution that the potential side effects of Tofacitinib are not to be overlooked as the drug isn’t suitable for long-term use.
Read the full study in Annals of Internal Medicine.
