Endocrine Abstracts

Hirsutism is the appearance of terminal hairs in areas of the body that are exclusively 'masculine'. Hirsutism is primarily a sign of an underlying endocrine abnormality, androgen excess. The principal causes of androgen excess are: the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in 80-90%, idiopathic hirsutism (IH) in 5-10%, the Hyperandrogenic-Insulin Resistant-Acanthosis Nigricans (HAIRAN) syndrome in 2-4%, 21-hydroxylase deficient non-classic adrenal hyperplasia (NCAH) in 1-10%, and ...