Urinary Steroids in Women with Androgenic Alopecia
March 2000
in “
Clinical Biochemistry
”
androgenic alopecia testosterone androstenedione cortisol corticosterone adrenal cortex hyperactivity 11β-hydroxylase 5α-reductase polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS androgenic alopecia testosterone androstenedione cortisol corticosterone adrenal cortex hyperactivity 11β-hydroxylase 5-alpha-reductase polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS
TLDR Women with hair loss had higher levels of certain hormones, suggesting a link to a condition like PCOS.
In 2000, Juricskay and Telegdy conducted a study on 56 women with androgenic alopecia and compared their urinary steroid metabolites to those of 17 healthy controls. They discovered that the women with hair loss had significantly higher levels of testosterone and androstenedione metabolites, as well as increased cortisol and corticosterone metabolites, indicating adrenal cortex hyperactivity. Additionally, the study found normal 11β-hydroxylase activity but increased 5α-reductase activity in the alopecia patients, suggesting that the latter may be the primary defect in these cases. These hormonal patterns were noted to be similar to those found in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hinting at a potential shared pathophysiological mechanism between androgenic alopecia and PCOS.
