Abstract no.: P18
Is female androgenetic alopecia androgen-dependent?
M.P.BIRCH, S.AGARWAL, H.LASHEN* AND A.G.MESSENGER
Department of Dermatology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, and Department
of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Jessop Wing*, Sheffield S10 2JF
It is well-established that male androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is an
androgen-dependent condition. The evidence that androgens are
involved in causing female AGA is less conclusive. The aim of this
study was to investigate the role of androgens in female AGA by
relating objective and subjective measures of scalp hair status to
circulating androgen levels and other markers of androgen action.
We studied 92 women aged 18–50 years, 42 with clinical female
AGA, 17 with hirsutism and 28 control subjects without hair
problems. We measured hair density on the frontal scalp using a
macrophotographic method, forehead sebum excretion rate (SER)
using Sebutape, serum free androgen index (FAI), and body mass
index (BMI).
Women with clinical female AGA had lower hair density than
the control and the hirsute groups (P <0.001). There was no
significant difference in hair density between control and hirsute
groups. There was no significant difference in SER (given as
arbitrary units of area on Sebutape) between the three groups.
Hirsute women had significantly higher FAI (P <0.001) and BMI
(P <0.001) levels than either of the other groups. There was no
difference in these measurements between the control and female
AGA groups.
was described by 41% of subjects, general thinning of the scalp being
most common (27%). Facial hair was increased in 36% of women.
Reduction in lower leg hair was related by 26% of women, axillary
hair in 38% and pubic hair in 38% of women.
Loss of scalp hair was positively correlated to age (P ¼0.01).
Facial hair increase was positively correlated to scalp hair loss in the
frontal and temple region only (P ¼0.05). Pubic hair loss was
significantly associated with all types of scalp hair loss (P ¼0.01).
These results show thinning of scalp hair to be common
phenomenon in the postmenopausal woman and that changes of
scalp, pubic and scalp hair are positively correlated.
Androgens are the most likely agents mediating the observed
changes in our survey. The fact that diffuse hair thinning in the
female was not significantly associated with facial hair gain is an
interesting observation and may be due to a variable sensitivity to
androgen action at different body areas or the action of nonandro-gen
agents.
Reference
1 Venning VA, Dawber RAJ. Patterned androgenic alopecia in wo-men.
J. Am. Acad. Dermatol., 1988 May; 18: 1073–7.
Abstract no.: P20
TH1 -associated IgG1 antihair follicle antibodies predominate
AR-Polymorphismen bei der normandrogenen HA geplagten Frau sind nie erwiesen wurden.Eisenmangel und andere Maengel,inc Aromataseschwaeche schon.Weibliche AGA ist eine Legende,..eine Spekulation.Niemand bezweifelt das DHT irgendwann mal das insuffiziente schutzlose Organ attakiert,..irgendwann mal,wenn 1 Jahr Ferritin oder Zinkmangel,..oder vieles andere den HF insuffizient gemacht hat.