CLINICAL STUDY Prevalence of polycystic ovaries in women with androgenic alopecia

Objective: Although androgenic alopecia is recognised to be a symptom of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), it is not known whether polycystic ovaries (PCO) and associated endocrine abnormalities are present in patients who present with alopecia as a primary complaint. We therefore set out to deter-mine the strength of the association between androgenic alopecia and PCO. We examined the preva-lence of ultrasound-based polycystic ovarian morphology and associated clinical and biochemical features in a large multiethnic group of women whose presenting complaint was of alopecia, and in a control group. Subjects and methods: We studied 89 women of mixed ethnic origin with androgenic alopecia and com-pared them to 73 control women. A detailed history was taken, anthropometry was performed and assessment of body-hair distribution was made. The presence of PCO was established by pelvic ultra-sound scan. Serum gonadotrophins, testosterone, androstenedione, dihydrotestosterone and sex hor-mone binding globulin concentrations were measured. Results: Women with alopecia had a higher prevalence of PCO and hirsutism than the control popu-lation (PCO: 67 % vs 27%, P, 0.00001; hirsutism: 21 % vs 4%, P 0.003). Women with alopeci