The role of family history and its influence on the onset time in female pattern hair loss

Introduction
Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is one of the most common causes of hair loss in women. Genetics plays an important role in the development of the disease, but the etiopathogenesis and the inheritance pattern in women remain unexplained.

Aim
To determine the extent to which FPHL is of genetic origin in women from the Polish population and whether a positive family history is a risk factor for its earlier onset.

Material and methods
Family histories of 111 unrelated female patients with FPHL and 129 female patients without hair thinning were analysed. FPHL was diagnosed based on a detailed medical history, the clinical picture and trichoscopic features.

Results
A positive family history was noted in 69 (62.2%) patients with FPHL. In 32 (28.8%) patients from that group, more than one person in the family suffered from hair loss, whereas in the healthy group, the same was true of only 4 patients (3.1%) (p < 0.0001). A positive family history on the mother’s side proved statistically significant for FPHL patients. In the case of 20 (18%), hair loss had been identified in their grandparents, while the healthy group had a negative history in that respect. A positive family history of hair loss in grandparents was three times more frequent in the group of patients with the disease onset before 40.

Conclusions
A positive history on the mother’s side may be of great significance for FPHL development. Hair loss in more than one family member and in one’s grandparents may also indicate a higher risk of disease development.