الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common cause of hair loss. It is a hereditary thinning of the hair induced by androgens in genetically susceptible men and women. This condition is also known as male pattern hair loss or common baldness in men. The etiology of this condition involves the interaction of genetic and hormonal influences that result in changes in follicular architecture and alterations of hair growth cycle. The onset of AGA is extremely variable, and appears to be determined by the presence of sufficient circulating androgens and the degree of genetic predisposition. The age of onset is usually the third and fourth decades, but the hair loss starts immediately after puberty and continues progressively. AGA is characterized by progressive, patterned hair loss from the scalp. It becomes a medical problem when the hair loss is subjectively viewed as excessive, premature and distressing. Clinical signs are usually milder in women and associated with diffuse thinning of the scalp hair. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of health risks that increase the chance of developing heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It is also known as Syndrome X, insulin resistance syndrome and dysmetabolic syndrome. Various risk factors have been included in metabolic syndrome. Factors generally accepted as being characteristic of this syndrome include abdominal obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, raised blood pressure, insulin resistance with or without glucose intolerance, prothrombotic state, and proinflammatory state. AGA may be associated with several diseases as metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, hyperinsulenimia, insulin resistance, hypertension, prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Clusterin (also called apolipoprotein J) is a heterodimeric secretory glycoprotein, responsible for aiding protein folding of secreted proteins, and its three isoforms have been differentially implicated in pro- or antiapoptotic processes. Through this function, CLU is involved in many diseases related to oxidative stress, including neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, inflammatory diseases, and aging. In humans, clusterin is encoded by the CLU gene on chromosome8. CLUwas first identified in ram rete testis fluid where it showed signs of clustering with rat sertoli cells and erythrocytes, hence its name. It is expressed in human tissues and body fluids including epithelial cells, smooth muscle cells and synoviocytes. CLU expression is detected during the growth phase of the hair cycle, and the protein is localized to the IRS of the anagen follicle. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between AGA and serum CLU and to assess the relationship between CLU level and lipid profile and metabolic syndrome in studied patients. This prospective study was carried out on 30 patients presented with androgenetic alopecia. They were selected from dermatology outpatient clinic, Menoufia University Hospital during the period from December 2017 to June 2018. Thirty age and gender matched apparently healthy volunteers were also included in this study as a control group. All studied cases were subjected to complete history taking general and dermatological examination including grading of AGA by Hamilton-Norwood classification, calculation of BMI and evaluation of metabolic syndrome. Blood samples were taken and sent to Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University. Serum lipids were estimated according to standard techniques. Detection of CLU was done by ELISA. |