Dataset Information

Visually scoring hirsutism.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hirsutism is the presence of excess body or facial terminal (coarse) hair growth in females in a male-like pattern, affects 5-15% of women, and is an important sign of underlying androgen excess. Different methods are available for the assessment of hair growth in women.

Methods

We conducted a literature search and analyzed the published studies that reported methods for the assessment of hair growth. We review the basic physiology of hair growth, the development of methods for visually quantifying hair growth, the comparison of these methods with objective measurements of hair growth, how hirsutism may be defined using a visual scoring method, the influence of race and ethnicity on hirsutism, and the impact of hirsutism in diagnosing androgen excess and polycystic ovary syndrome.

Results

Objective methods for the assessment of hair growth including photographic evaluations and microscopic measurements are available but these techniques have limitations for clinical use, including a significant degree of complexity and a high cost. Alternatively, methods for visually scoring or quantifying the amount of terminal body and facial hair growth have been in use since the early 1920s; these methods are semi-quantitative at best and subject to significant inter-observer variability. The most common visual method of scoring the extent of body and facial terminal hair growth in use today is based on a modification of the method originally described by Ferriman and Gallwey in 1961 (i.e. the mFG method).

Conclusion

Overall, the mFG scoring method is a useful visual instrument for assessing excess terminal hair growth, and the presence of hirsutism, in women.

SUBMITTER: Yildiz BO

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2792145 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan-Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Visually scoring hirsutism.

Yildiz Bulent O BO Bolour Sheila S Woods Keslie K Moore April A Azziz Ricardo R

Human reproduction update 20100101 1

<h4>Background</h4>Hirsutism is the presence of excess body or facial terminal (coarse) hair growth in females in a male-like pattern, affects 5-15% of women, and is an important sign of underlying androgen excess. Different methods are available for the assessment of hair growth in women.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a literature search and analyzed the published studies that reported methods for the assessment of hair growth. We review the basic physiology of hair growth, the development of met ...[more]

PMID: 19567450

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Project description:BackgroundHirsutism is common across ethnicities and a significant cause of negative self-esteem from presumptive loss of femininity. It remains understudied in Indian patients.ObjectiveWe studied the clinical and investigative attributes of patients with hirsutism.MethodsThe medical records of 233 patients with hirsutism diagnosed between 2014 and 2019 were analyzed retrospectively.ResultsThe complete records of 122 patients age 14 to 45 years were available. Approximately 32% were adolescents, and 50% patients were age 21 to 30 years. The mean ± standard deviation modified Ferriman-Gallway (mF-G) score was 17.95 ± 10.58, and hirsutism was graded zero/mild in 57.4% patients. Polycystic ovaries were present in 29.5% of patients. Serum-free testosterone levels were elevated in 16.4% of patients. Associated signs of clinical hyperandrogenism, such as acne, obesity, acanthosis nigricans, and menstrual irregularities, were present in 12 patients (9.8%). Familial hirsutism occurred in 13% of patients and was idiopathic in 10.7% of patients. Significantly more patients (47.7% vs. 27.9%) with severe hirsutism did not complete investigations compared with those with mild hirsutism (45.9% vs. 21.6%), which may be due to the high cost of investigative work-up (as often stated by many patients) compared with periodic depilation.LimitationsThe mF-G score is a visual and subjective scale, and its validity remains limited by interobserver variations. The score's cut-off values may vary among races/ethnicities. A small number of patients and the retrospective study design are other limitations.ConclusionHirsutism of polycystic ovary syndrome or idiopathic origin is not uncommon in Indian women. Hirsutism of adrenal or thyroid origin remains uncommon. Self-referral and high cosmetic concerns for facial hair were common in adolescents and young unmarried patients, and the majority had an mF-G score of < 8 to 16. Cut-off values for the mF-G score specific to our population assigning higher than current mF-G value to facial hair are highly desirable.

Dataset Information

Visually scoring hirsutism.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Visually scoring hirsutism.

Similar Datasets

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