AI Article Synopsis

  • Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common type of hair loss mainly seen in adults, with rare occurrences reported in children before puberty.
  • In children, AGA usually indicates an underlying hormonal abnormality since they typically don't produce significant levels of androgens until puberty.
  • The article discusses the role of androgen hormones in hair loss and the importance of ruling out other causes of hair loss in prepubertal children.

Article Abstract

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), one of the most common causes of hair loss in men and women, is an infrequent cause of alopecia in children. In AGA, patients generally start noticing hair thinning after the onset of puberty due to progressive miniaturisation of the hair follicle which leads to vellus transformation of terminal hair. However, the occurrence of prepubertal AGA has rarely been reported in the literature. The pathophysiology of AGA is tightly linked to androgen hormones; prepubertal children do not usually produce significant amounts of adrenal or gonadal androgens. When it does occur, an underlying abnormality should be suspected. Secondary causes of AGA must be excluded when evaluating a patient before the appearance of puberty. Premature puberty, polycystic ovarian syndrome and other causes of hyperandrogenism can present with hair loss in an androgenetic pattern. This article reviews the normal physiology of androgen hormones and their role in the pathophysiology of childhood AGA.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ajd.13079DOI Listing

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