We recently reported on The Online Clinic news blog that hair loss was one of the major health concerns for men over the age of forty. It was something that many men regarded as an unavoidable part of the aging process and something that they could do little about. It also ranked higher in their list of health concerns than the possibility of erectile dysfunction.
Scientists at Kings College, London, in conjunction with researchers from GlaxoSmithKline and McGill University, have identified a gene that may prove vital in the treatment of a particular type of hair loss. The gene seems to place one man in every seven at risk of male pattern baldness.
The survey was carried out on 1125 Caucasian men and identified two genetic variants that lead to a risk of hair loss that is seven times greater than those without the genes. The genes were found on chromosome 20. Possessing these particular genes and another on the X chromosome combined to increase the occurrence of male pattern baldness sevenfold. A surprising coincidence is the fact that one in seven men has this gene combination.
The identification of these genes will, hopefully, allow scientists to develop ways to prevent this particular form of baldness. At the moment we have a drug called Propecia to fight hair loss and this appears to be highly effective for many men losing hair on the crown but it does not work quite so well at the temple area. I have been taking Propecia for years to great effect but I have a constant worry that one day the drug will stop working so I believe that any new developments in this area would be welcomed by most men who are “follicly challenged.”