Clinical Differences of Androgenetic Alopecia between Adolescents and Adults / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

Background@#Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is characterized by terminal hair miniaturization, which progressively decreases hair density and thickness. Genetic predisposition and the role of androgen in AGA have been widely accepted; however, its definite mechanism has not been clarified. AGA may also occur in adolescents, although its clinical characteristics including the disease prevalence have not yet been fully established. @*Objective@#To analyze the clinical differences of AGA between adolescents and adults. @*Methods@#Six-hundred fourteen patients with AGA were recruited and information about age, sex, and family history, comorbidities were collected. @*Results@#A total of 74.5% of adolescents and 66.4% of adults had family history of AGA, with “paternal only” as the most common pattern. A total of 27.3% of adolescents and 44.5% of adults had comorbidities, with seborrheic dermatitis being the most common. Other common comorbidities were acne, folliculitis, and atopic dermatitis in adolescents, dyslipidemia, hypertension, mood disorder, and diabetes mellitus in adults. A total of 12.7% and 15.0% of adolescents and adults, respectively, had abnormal serum testosterone levels, and 5.5% of adolescents and 7.5% of adults had abnormal serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels. Regardless of age, the proportion of patients with abnormal testosterone levels was higher in the female group than in the male group. @*Conclusion@#AGA showed paternal predominance in family history regardless of sex or age, suggesting paternal history as an important factor of AGA. Testosterone and DHEA-S abnormalities were found in patients with AGA, indicating a need for further studies on therapeutic effects associated with differences in hormonal profiles.