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Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has disproportionately impacted the African American community. This study aims to identify the risk factors for severe COVID‐19 disease in African American patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cross‐sectional analysis of African American patients with COVID‐19 treated between March 12 and April 9, 2020, at a single tertiary center. The primary outcome of interest was severe disease defined as those requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Results: The study included 158 consecutive patients. The mean age was 57 years, and 61% were women. The mean (SD) of BMI was 33.2 (8.6) kg/m2. Overall, patients admitted to the ICU were older (62 vs. 55 years, P = 0.003) and had higher BMI (36.5 kg/m2 vs. 31.9 kg/m2, P = 0.002). In unadjusted and adjusted analysis, the factors most associated with ICU admission in this sample were age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.073; 95% CI: 1.033‐1.114), BMI (aOR: 1.115; 95% CI: 1.052‐1.182), and lung disease (aOR: 3.097; 95% CI: 1.137‐8.437). Conclusions: This study identified risk factors for severe disease in COVID‐19, specifically in an African American population. Further inclusive research aimed at optimizing clinical care relevant to the African American population is critical to ensure an equitable response to COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Materials and Methods Results Conclusion Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition characterized by rapid hair loss in the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes, for which treatments are limited. Baricitinib, an oral inhibitor of Janus kinases 1 and 2, has been recently approved to treat alopecia areata.We conducted a retrospective study involving 23 medical centres across Italy, enrolling patients affected by severe alopecia areata (SALT >50), for more than 6 months. Clinical and trichoscopic assessment was performed at each visit and impact on quality of life, anxiety and depression were evaluated using the Skindex‐16 and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), respectively.A total of 118 patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 39 years and a mean SALT >95. The mean value of the SALT score decreased from an average of 96.6 (±8.23 sd) to 48 (±35.2 sd) after 24 weeks of treatment and 42.3% of patients achieved a SALT 30, 31.3% a SALT 20 and 20.3% a SALT 10 by Week 24. Trichoscopic signs showed fewer yellow dots and black dots significantly earlier than hair regrowth. Adverse events during the treatment period (mild laboratory test abnormalities) were reported in 12.7% patients. No drop‐out were registered.Data on the effectiveness and safety of baricitinib are promising and support the use of this drug in severe forms of AA, also in the early stages. We also suggest performing trichoscopy in order to reveal early response to therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]