Effectiveness of Finasteride on Patients with Male Pattern Baldness Who Have Different Androgen Receptor Gene Polymorphism

December 2005 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings”

Nagaoki Wakisaka, Yuh-ichi Taira, Masahiro Ishikawa, Yoshio Nakamizo, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Masashi Uwabu, Yasutaka Fukuda, Yasuyuki Taguchi, Takanori Hama, Masaya Kawakami

TLDR Finasteride works better for baldness in people with shorter gene repeats.

This study analyzed the effectiveness of finasteride on male pattern baldness (MPB) patients with different androgen receptor (AR) gene polymorphism. The study found that the smaller the repeat number of the triplet repeats (CAG+ GGC) in the AR gene, the higher the improvement with finasteride. Patients with shorter repeat regions in the AR gene responded better to the drug than those with longer repeat regions, although the former patients tended to reveal severe initial symptoms. The determination of such polymorphism is thought to be useful in the drug choice for MPB patients.

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Cited in this study

research The expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 in follicular dermal papillae correlates with therapeutic efficacy of finasteride in androgenetic alopecia

49 citations , August 2003 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Higher IGF-1 levels in hair follicles link to better finasteride results for hair loss.

research Androgen Receptor Polymorphisms (CAG Repeat Lengths) in Androgenetic Alopecia, Hirsutism, and Acne

186 citations , July 1998 in “Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery”

Shorter CAG repeats may cause hair and skin issues, while longer ones may link to acne.

research Effectiveness of Finasteride on Patients with Male Pattern Baldness Who Have Different Androgen Receptor Gene Polymorphism

23 citations , December 2005 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings”

Finasteride works better for baldness in people with shorter gene repeats.