Apoptosis in follicles of individuals with female pattern hair loss is associated with perifollicular microinflammation

Abstract

objective

To evaluate apoptosis in hair follicles of patients with female pattern hair loss (FPHL) and its association to follicular microinflammation.

method

Cross-sectional study involving 17 women with FPHL and five controls. Scalp skin samples were processed for HE and TUNEL assays. The variables were compared according to the categories of follicles (terminal versus miniaturized) and groups of patients (FPHL versus controls).

results

There was a higher apoptosis index among miniaturized follicles and among the test cases (p < 0.01). Microinflammation was prominent among miniaturized follicles, especially from FPHL (p = 0.02). In addition, a positive correlation between inflammatory infiltrate and apoptosis in miniaturized follicles (r_S = 0.68; p < 0.01) was found.

Conclusions

Apoptosis was prominent in hair follicles from the FPHL group, as well as in miniaturized ones. Moreover, it was also correlated to the inflammatory infiltrate, which suggests that inflammation can lead to apoptosis and play a role in the pathogenesis of follicle miniaturization.

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