Improvement of granulomatous skin conditions with tofacitinib in three patients: A case report

Granulomatous skin conditions are poorly understood inflammatory skin diseases consisting predominantly of macrophages. Granuloma annulare (GA) is the most common granulomatous skin disease and the generalized variant is particularly difficult to treat due to the prolonged course and lack of efficacious treatment options. Necrobiosis lipoidica (NL) is another granulomatous disorder of uncertain etiology. There is a growing body of evidence for the use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in the management of inflammatory skin diseases. In our report, we describe three patients with recalcitrant granulomatous disease including NL and generalized GA who responded favourably to treatment with the JAK inhibitor tofacitinib. JAK inhibitors may be a beneficial therapeutic option for patients with granulomatous skin diseases that are unresponsive to conventional therapies. Further research is required to determine the long-term efficacy and safety of JAK inhibitors in treating granulomatous skin conditions.