Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0851184 (thinning)
 11,252 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Male pattern baldness is a common affliction affecting up to half the adult male population. Although females can be affected, the manifestations are usually limited to thinning of the hair. Over the past decade there has been increasing interest in treating male pattern baldness sparked by the introduction of minoxidil (Rogaine). This article will review the etiology, current treatments, and future developments.
 ...
PMID:Male pattern baldness. 816 95

Common baldness or androgenetic alopecia is a universal problem, having affected both sexes of all races to different extents for as long as mankind has existed. The progressive androgen dependent hair loss follows specific patterns and is a physiological process, which may take on disease quality due to psychosocial compontents. These should be taken into consideration when discussing the several treatment options available, particularly as a cure cannot be offered. Cosmetic measures range from back-combing over perms to hairpieces and wigs. Medical therapies include systemic antiandrogens and topical minoxidil; surgical options comprise follicular transplantation, scalp reduction and rotation. Before starting treatment, however, careful consideration should be given to the differential diagnosis which includes drug-induced hair thinning, anagen effluvium, diffuse alopecia areata, metabolic disturbances, nutritional deficiencies and acute as well as chronic telogen effluvium.
 ...
PMID:Therapeutic approaches to the management of common baldness. 1069 5

Despite the negative effects of androgenetic alopecia (AGA), no standardized health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaire which is both specific to women and suitable for use in clinical trials currently exists. A questionnaire to assess HRQOL in women with AGA, the Women's Androgenetic Alopecia Quality of Life Questionnaire (WAA-QOL), was recently developed. Aspects of life affected by AGA were generated from literature review, discussion with experts, and a focus group. The number of issues identified was reduced based on importance and relevance to women with AGA. A questionnaire was then constructed and pilot-tested for comprehension. The resulting 25-item instrument was later included in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of finasteride 1 mg for the treatment of hair thinning in postmenopausal women (n = 137). Based on test characteristics, several questions were eliminated, resulting in a 16-item questionnaire. The WAA-QOL exhibited excellent test-retest reliability overall (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.89), and for individual items (kappa = 0.66-0.85), as well as high internal consistency (Crohnbach's alpha = 0.98). Responsiveness of the questionnaire could not be assessed. The WAA-QOL is self-completed in about 10 min, exhibits good content validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability, and may be useful in assessing the impact of female AGA on HRQOL or in evaluating therapeutic effects in clinical trials.
 ...
PMID:Development of a health-related quality of life questionnaire for women with androgenetic alopecia. 1116 80

Hair loss or hair thinning is a common complaint in clinical dermatology, and patients seeking advice for hair loss are not necessarily bald. Also the effects of treatment attempts are hard to measure. Consequently, there is a need for a sensitive tool to monitor hair loss and treatment response. Such a method must be able to analyze the biological parameters of hair growth, which are: 1: hair density (n/cm2), 2: hair diameter (mm), 3: hair growth rate (mm/day) and 4: anagen/telogen ratio. Here we present the TrichoScan as a method which combines epiluminescence microscopy (ELM) with automatic digital image analysis for the measurement of human, and potentially animal hair, in situ. The TrichoScan is able to analyze all biological parameters of hair growth with a so-called intraclass correlation of approx. ninety-one percent with the same TrichoScan operator and an intraclass correlation of approx. ninety-seven percent for different TrichoScan operators. The application of the technique is demonstrated by comparison of the hair parameters in individuals without apparent hair loss with men with untreated AGA and men after treatment with finasteride (1 mg/day), where we were able to detect a significant increase in hair counts and cumulative hair thickness 3 and 6 months after treatment. The advantage of the TrichoScan is that it can be used for clinical studies to compare placebo versus treatment or to compare different capacities of different hair growth promoting substances, it can be used for studying AGA or other forms of diffuse hair loss, and it can be adopted to study the effect of drugs or laser treatment on hypertrichosis or hirsutism.
 ...
PMID:TrichoScan: combining epiluminescence microscopy with digital image analysis for the measurement of hair growth in vivo. 1139 46

The complaint "Doctor, I am losing my hair" represents a particular challenge to the physician, and involves making a specific diagnosis, selecting an appropriate therapy, and expressing empathy for the patient's anxiety. Diffuse hair loss in women was formerly classified as an entity of its own. Since the identification of female pattern hair loss, most cases have been recognized to be due to androgenetic alopecia, often during phases of life characterized by fluctuations of sexual hormone levels or in connection with intake or cessation of hormonal therapy. The most difficult differential diagnosis includes androgenetic alopecia, chronic telogen effluvium, and psychogenic pseudo efflvuium. Androgenetic alopecia is due to androgen-induced, non-synchronized, progressive shortening of the hair growth cycle and gradually leads to thinning of the central scalp area. Idiopathic chronic telogen effluvium typically occurs in women, starting abruptly without a recognizable initiating factor, and involves the entire scalp area with increased shedding of telogen hair. It is believed to be due to synchronization phenomena of the cyclic hair growth. Psychogenic pseudo effluvium affects fashion-oriented, self-conscious women suffering of a discrepancy between the actual state of their hair and idealized expectations. Later the problem of age-related hair thinning oft becomes a surrogate for the more generalized problem of senescence. Rational therapy of androgenetic alopecia aims at blocking the androgen effect on hair follicles with estrogens and antiandrogens or at pharmacologically reversing vellus hair transformation with topical minoxidil. In contrast, women with idiopathic chronic telogen effluvium should be reassured that their problem is rather a state of exaggerated "hair shedding" than of actual "hair loss".
 ...
PMID:[Diffuse hair loss in women]. 1209 Jan 17

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is hereditary and androgen-dependent, progressive thinning of the scalp hair that follows a defined pattern. While the genetic involvement is pronounced but poorly understood, major advances have been achieved in understanding principal elements of the androgen metabolism involved: androgen-dependent processes are predominantly due to the binding of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to the androgen receptor (AR). DHT-dependent cell functions depend on the availability of weak androgens, their conversion to more potent androgens via the action of 5 alpha-reductase, low enzymatic activity of androgen inactivating enzymes, and functionally active AR present in high numbers. The predisposed scalp exhibits high levels of DHT, and increased expression of the AR. Conversion of testosterone to DHT within the dermal papilla plays a central role, while androgen-regulated factors deriving from dermal papilla cells are believed to influence growth of other components of the hair follicle. Current available treatment modalities with proven efficacy are oral finasteride, a competitive inhibitor of type 2 5 alpha-reductase, and topical minoxidil, an adenosine-triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel opener which has been reported to stimulate the production of vascular endothelial growth factor in cultured dermal papilla cells. Since the clinical success rate of treatment of AGA with modulators of androgen metabolism or hair growth promoters is limited, sustained microscopic follicular inflammation with connective tissue remodeling, eventually resulting in permanent hair loss, is considered a possible cofactor in the complex etiology of AGA.
 ...
PMID:Molecular mechanisms of androgenetic alopecia. 1221 48

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), or hereditary hair thinning, is a common and unwelcome cause of hair loss in men and women. AGA also occurs in adolescents, though its prevalence in this younger population is not known. Physical appearance is extremely important to most adolescents, and early onset of hair loss can have a definite negative effect on self-image and self-esteem. Minoxidil topical solution is widely used by adults for hair loss, but its use by adolescents has not been systematically evaluated. This article provides an overview of AGA and presents new information on the prevalence and age at onset of hereditary hair thinning in adolescents. In addition, data are presented on the efficacy and proper use of minoxidil topical solution in adolescent boys and girls.
 ...
PMID:Androgenetic alopecia in adolescents. 1263 89

Hair loss (alopecia) affects men and women of all ages and often significantly affects social and psychologic well-being. Although alopecia has several causes, a careful history, dose attention to the appearance of the hair loss, and a few simple studies can quickly narrow the potential diagnoses. Androgenetic alopecia, one of the most common forms of hair loss, usually has a specific pattern of temporal-frontal loss in men and central thinning in women. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved topical minoxidil to treat men and women, with the addition of finasteride for men. Telogen effluvium is characterized by the loss of "handfuls" of hair, often following emotional or physical stressors. Alopecia areata, trichotillomania, traction alopecia, and tinea capitis have unique features on examination that aid in diagnosis. Treatment for these disorders and telogen effluvium focuses on resolution of the underlying cause.
 ...
PMID:Common hair loss disorders. 1505 3

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), also known in women as female pattern hair loss, is caused by androgens in genetically susceptible women and men. The thinning begins between ages 12 and 40 years, the inheritance pattern is polygenic, and the incidence is the same as in men. In susceptible hair follicles, dihydrotestosterone binds to the androgen receptor, and the hormone-receptor complex activates the genes responsible for the gradual transformation of large terminal follicles to miniaturized follicles. Both young women and young men with AGA have higher levels of 5alpha reductase and androgen receptor in frontal hair follicles compared to occipital follicles. At the same time, young women have much higher levels of cytochrome p-450 aromatase in frontal follicles than men who have minimal aromatase, and women have even higher aromatase levels in occipital follicles. The diagnosis of AGA in women is supported by early age of onset, the pattern of increased thinning over the frontal/parietal scalp with greater density over the occipital scalp, retention of the frontal hairline, and the presence of miniaturized hairs. Most women with AGA have normal menses and pregnancies. Extensive hormonal testing is usually not needed unless symptoms and signs of androgen excess are present such as hirsutism, severe unresponsive cystic acne, virilization, or galactorrhea. Topical minoxidil solution is the only drug available for promoting hair growth in women with AGA. Efficacy has been shown in double-blind studies using hair counts and hair weight.
 ...
PMID:Androgenetic alopecia in women. 1289 91

Androgenetic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss in men and women. The disorder represents a quantitative phenotype with an underlying genetic disposition. So far none of the causative genes have been identified. Under the influence of androgens there is a shortening of the anagen phase as well as a reduction of the cellular hair matrix volume in the involved scalp area. This results in the transformation of thick terminal hair follicles into thin vellus-like hair follicles. Clinically, patients present with an alopecia that follows a defined pattern (pattern baldness) and progresses continuously but in varying degrees. In advanced cases, men may develop baldness with remaining hair exclusively in the temporal and occipital regions. Women are prone to exhibit a more diffuse type of hair loss with pronounced thinning in the parietal region. Whereas the diagnosis of androgenetic alopecia is easy, its treatment is often difficult. The physician is commonly confronted with high patients' expectations regarding hair regrowth. Today, with minoxidil and finasteride, effective therapies are available which can lead to cessation of hair loss. The identification of underlying genes will make a more specific therapy easier to achieve.
 ...
PMID:[Androgenetic alopecia. Current aspects of a common phenotype]. 1294 84


1 2 3 Next >>