Faculty Opinions Recommendation of Investigation of Four Novel Male Androgenetic Alopecia Susceptibility Loci: No Association with Female Pattern Hair Loss

In 2014, Nuwaihyd R et al. conducted a study to investigate the genetic background of male androgenetic alopecia (MAGA) and female pattern hair loss (FPHL). They found that while there is a strong genetic component to both conditions, they are distinct and partially overlapping. The study revealed a strong connection between the androgen receptor and the ectodysplasin A2 receptor (EDA2R) with MAGA. A genome-wide association study also found a connection between the WNT signaling pathway and MAGA, suggesting the existence of androgen-independent pathways in MAGA's pathogenesis. However, when the same loci and the WNT signaling pathway were investigated for association with FPHL in a large cohort of patients, no association was found. This emphasized the different pathogenesis of MAGA and FPHL and the need for more genome-wide association studies to identify additional susceptibility loci for FPHL.