Insulin Resistance and Hair Disorders: Idiopathic Hirsutism and Androgenic Alopecia

The document presents findings from a study examining the relationship between insulin resistance and hair disorders, specifically idiopathic hirsutism (IH) in females and androgenic alopecia (AGA) in males. The case-control study included 33 females with IH and a control group of 35 nonobese females, as well as 97 males with AGA and a control group of 87 males. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in serum fasting insulin levels, fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, or HDL between cases and controls in the male group. Similarly, in the female group with IH, while fasting insulin levels, Homeostatic Model Assessment (HOMA), and free androgen were higher than in control subjects, the differences were not statistically significant. The conclusion drawn from this study is that there is no significant relationship between insulin resistance and either idiopathic hirsutism or androgenic alopecia. However, the authors suggest that the potential relationship between insulin resistance and these hair disorders should be considered with caution. The study did not receive any commercial support.