Risk factors and lipid metabolism characteristics of early-onset male androgenetic alopecia: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND

Male androgenetic alopecia (MAA) is a multifactorial disease, with patients presenting at a younger age, which is a risk factor for many metabolic diseases.

AIMS: To explore the risk factors associated with early-onset of MAA and its metabolic characteristics.

METHODS

Forty patients with MAA and 45 healthy controls were collected. The serum levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total testosterone (TT), uric acid (UA), and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) were measured. Meanwhile, lipid metabolites were detected by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS).

RESULTS

37.50% MAA patients had metabolic syndrome, compared to 17.78% in control group (p < 0.05). The levels of HDL-C, UA, and 25(OH)D were decreased in patients with MAA compared to healthy controls (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the level of TT between the two groups. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the levels of HDL-C, UA, 25(OH)D, and TT among different grades of hair loss (p > 0.05). The lipid profile of early-onset MAA differed significantly from healthy controls. In early-onset MAA, the levels of ceramide (Cer) and sphingomyelin (SM) were significantly lower. Cer(d38:5) and TG(15:0/18:1/18:1) may be the biomarkers.

CONCLUSION

Low HDL-C, UA, and 25(OH)D may be the independent risk factors for early-onset MAA. Abnormal lipid metabolism was observed in early-onset MAA, wherein Cer and SM may serve as protective factors.