Safety of Systemic Jak Inhibitors in Dermatologic Diseases: A Systematic Review

JAK inhibitors that act systematically have recently shown potential for becoming targeted treatments in several inflammatory and autoimmune conditions of the skin, such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, alopecia areata, vitiligo, and hidradenitis suppurativa. Mechanistically, this class of medications works through blocking the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, which is important for cytokines and inflammation. JAK inhibitors have been proven to be clinically efficient with quick onset of action, but, unfortunately, there are significant safety issues with this group of drugs because of their immunomodulatory profile. Potential adverse events are linked with infectious complications, herpes zoster outbreaks, hematological changes, dyslipidemia, liver dysfunction, thrombosis, myocardial problems, and increased risk of malignancy. Drug safety might depend on JAK inhibitor selectivity, dosing, treatment period, and other parameters. Appropriate patient selection and monitoring should be considered while using systemic JAK inhibitors in dermatology.