Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common cause of balding in men. AGA is the risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, glucose metabolism disorders and also the risk of benign prostethyperplasia and prostate carcinoma. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and metabolic syndrome are the risk factors of insulin resistance, obesity and diabetes mellitus. The genetic autosomal trait of PCOS initiated a hypothesis about the existence of a male equivalent of PCOS. Premature alopecia was suggested as one of the signs of a male phenotype of this syndrome. However, it can be the sign of metabolic syndrome as well. PCOS is characterized by hyperandrogenaemia while metabolic syndrome is characterized by low androgens. Methods: A group of 30 men (mean age: 31 years), in which premature hair loss begun before 30 years of age was involved in the present study. In all individuals, their hormonal profile was determined and insulin tolerance test was made. Robust Mann-Whitney test and Fisher’s exact test were used for statistic analysis. Results: Based on the laboratory findings two subgroups of individuals were shown. The first one revealed similar hormonal changes as women with PCOS, the other had either no anomalies in steroid spectrum. Both subgroups did not differ in either BMI or age. The subgroup with hormonal changes resembling those of PCOS, namely lower SHBG, lower FSH and elevated free androgen index, showed a significantly higher insulin resistance than the group without these changes. Only one man in our group was low in androgens. Conclusions: Based on our results it can be concluded that men with premature alopecia and hormonal changes partially resembling those typical for female PCOS, might probably represent the male equivalent of PCOS, than to be suspected of the metabolic syndrome. The study was supported by grant No. NR/8525–5 of the IGA MZCR.