{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T20:18:05Z","timestamp":1789762685952,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773705600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of baricitinib, a selective Janus kinase (JAK)1\/JAK2 inhibitor, in the treatment of patients with Vogt\u2013Koyanagi\u2013Harada (VKH) disease.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The study was designed as a prospective, open-label, longitudinal, single-center cohort study.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We enrolled 38 patients (76 eyes) with VKH disease (including both initial-onset and recurrent\/chronic cases) at Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, China, between 2022 and 2024. Patients were assigned to one of two treatment protocols based on disease severity and prior treatment history: group A received oral baricitinib (4 mg\/day) combined with systemic methylprednisolone, and group B received oral baricitinib monotherapy. Clinical assessments were performed at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. Primary outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), anterior chamber (AC) cell and flare grades, subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), subretinal fluid (SRF) height, and angiographic inflammatory scores (fluorescein angiography [FA]\/indocyanine green angiography [ICGA]). Secondary outcomes included quality-of-life scores (25-item version of the Visual Function Questionnaire [VFQ-25], SF-36), adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and recurrence rates.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The cohort included 44 eyes with early-stage (initial-onset) and 32 eyes with late-stage (recurrent) VKH disease (mean age: 43.1 years \u00b1 12.3 years; follow-up: 6\u201318 months). Inflammation control was achieved in all patients in both groups. In group A, the combination therapy led to rapid resolution of inflammation. In group B (monotherapy), significant improvements were observed from baseline to the final visit, including improved BCVA (0.12 to 0.68,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.001), reduced AC cell grade (1.54 to 0.05,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.007), decreased SFCT (537.6 to 252.4 \u00b5m,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.007), and complete resolution of SRF (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.001). FA and ICGA scores significantly decreased (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05), and VFQ-25 scores improved (82.6 to 92.9,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.001). No severe ADRs or disease recurrences were observed during the follow-up period.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study demonstrates that baricitinib is a promising therapeutic option for both early- and late-stage VKH disease. It effectively controls choroidal inflammation, improves visual function, and allows for a substantial reduction in corticosteroid burden with a favorable safety profile.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Clinical trial registration<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:uri>http:\/\/www.chictr.org.cn<\/jats:uri>\n                      , identifier ChiCTR2100048030.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2026.1736522","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T14:18:51Z","timestamp":1773757131000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Novel application for the JAK inhibitor baricitinib in the treatment of Vogt\u2013Koyanagi\u2013Harada disease: a prospective cohort 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