Abstract
Hormonal and metabolic abnormalities have been reported in men with early-onset androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Although this has been ascribed to the existence of a male polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-equivalent, data on this topic are inconsistent and this syndrome has not been already acknowledged. To evaluate if, already before the age of 35 years, any difference occurs in the glycolipid and hormonal profiles and in the body weight in men with AGA compared to age-matched controls, we performed a comprehensive meta-analysis of all the available observational case-control studies of literature, using MEDLINE, Google Schoolar and Scopus databases. Among 10596 papers retrieved, seven studies were finally included, enrolling a total of 1009 participants. Our findings demonstrate that young men with AGA have a slightly but significantly worse glycolipid profile compared to controls and a hormonal pattern resembling those of women with PCOS, already before the age of 35 years. Therefore, early-onset AGA might represent a phenotypic sign of the male PCOS-equivalent. The acknowledgement of this syndrome would be of importance to prevent the long-term consequences on health in the affected men. The glycolipid profile and the body weight should be monitored in men with AGA starting from the second decade of life.
Highlights
The association between alopecia and a higher risk of developing coronary heart disease and cardiovascular risk factors has been reported in both genders from a meta-analytic study[1]
This study aims to meta-analyze all the available data to evaluate various established indices of metabolic function, namely insulinaemia, insulin-resistance, body weight, total, HDL and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in men with early-onset androgenetic alopecia (AGA)
The study by Ertas and colleagues[17] was excluded because the authors subdivided patients with AGA into three different groups according to the AGA degree and, the results were given according to such groups
Summary
The association between alopecia and a higher risk of developing coronary heart disease and cardiovascular risk factors has been reported in both genders from a meta-analytic study[1]. Early-onset ( < 35 years) AGA is a recurrent feature among the male relatives of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)[3] It has been proposed as a sign of the male PCOS-equivalent[4]. Some observational studies evaluated the hormonal and metabolic profile in men with early-onset AGA, finding a PCOS-like hormonal pattern and metabolic abnormalities[5,6,7,8,9,10]. Early-onset AGA might be a sign of the male PCOS-equivalent, a complex syndrome with a metabolic background. This study aims to meta-analyze all the available data to evaluate various established indices of metabolic function, namely insulinaemia, insulin-resistance, body weight, total, HDL and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in men with early-onset AGA. We evaluated the hormonal profile (luteinizing hormone [LH], follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH], LH-FSH ratio, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate [DHEAS], total testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin [SHBG]) of these men
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