Evidence for a polygenic contribution to androgenetic alopecia

October 2013 in “British Journal of Dermatology”

Stefanie Heilmann, Felix F. Brockschmidt, Axel M. Hillmer, Sandra Hanneken, Sibylle Eigelshoven, Karl F. Ludwig, Christoph Herold, Elisabeth Mangold, Thomas Becker, Rudolf Kruse, Martin Knapp, Markus M. Nöthen

TLDR Hair loss risk is influenced by multiple genes.

This study found evidence for a polygenic component contributing to the overall heritable risk of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). The study used a sample of 577 cases and 617 controls to generate the AGA score. Further studies are needed to understand the specific genetic factors that comprise the polygenic component.

View this study on academic.oup.com →

Cited in this study

research Six Novel Susceptibility Loci for Early-Onset Androgenetic Alopecia and Their Unexpected Association with Common Diseases

87 citations , May 2012 in “PLOS Genetics”

Six new genetic regions linked to early hair loss also connect to Parkinson's disease and prostate cancer, possibly leading to new treatments.

research Male-pattern baldness susceptibility locus at 20p11

111 citations , October 2008 in “Nature Genetics”

Researchers found a new gene area linked to male-pattern baldness, which, along with another gene, significantly increases the risk of hair loss in men.

research Evidence for a polygenic contribution to androgenetic alopecia

26 citations , October 2013 in “British Journal of Dermatology”

Hair loss risk is influenced by multiple genes.