Hirsuties.

Abstract

Hirsuties is an androgen-dependent differentiation and growth of hair in females in the same pattern and sequence as that which develops in the normal postpubertal male, but of less quantity and varying in severity. The clinical diagnosis implies underlying pathology and necessitates systematic consideration. The assessment must be adequate to distinguish between causes that are "dangerous" and those that are relatively trivial to life and health, and to determine whether the condition has consequences for well-being over the short term or may incur some significant health risks over the long term. The physiologic mechanisms for androgenic activity may be considered in three stages: (1) the production of androgens by the ovaries and adrenal glands; (2) their transport in the blood on carrier proteins, principally SHBG (sex hormone-binding globulin); and (3) their intracellular modification and binding to the androgen receptor. Causes may include polycystic ovary syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, androgen-secreting tumors, Cushing's syndrome, hyperprolactinemia, and menopause. There is a genuine need for accurate anthropologic and racial data in relation to female hair patterns.