hirsutism
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Hirsutism is excessive body hair on parts of the body where hair is normally absent or minimal. The word is from the early 17th century: from Latin hirsutus meaning "hairy". It usually refers to a male pattern of hair growth in a female that may be a sign of a more serious medical condition, especially if it develops well after puberty. Cultural stigma against hirsutism can cause much psychological distress and social difficulty. Discrimination based on facial hirsutism often leads to the avoidance of social situations and to symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Key facts
- Medical condition (new).name
- Hirsutism
- Medical condition (new).image
- PMC4103002 ircmj-16-9410-g001.png
- Medical condition (new).caption
- Hirsutism depicted in a female patient with PCOS and nonclassic congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Medical condition (new).field
- Dermatology, endocrinology
- Medical condition (new).treatment
- Birth control pills, antiandrogens, insulin sensitizers
via Wikipedia infobox
Health references
- ICD-10
- L68.0 — Hirsutism
- MedlinePlus
- Consumer health page →
Clinical Trials
44 registered- PHASE4COMPLETEDTreatment With Topical Eflornithin After Laser Treatment in Women With Facial HirsutismBispebjerg Hospital · NCT01817894
- NARECRUITINGIntense Pulsed Light (IPL) Medical Device as Treatment for Patient Suffering From Skin DisorderEurofeedback · NCT06655129
- PHASE1/PHASE2UNKNOWNPhotodynamic Therapy for Permanent Hair RemovalUniversity of Jena · NCT00371930
- PHASE3COMPLETEDAn Extension Study of CORLUX in the Treatment of Endogenous Cushing's SyndromeCorcept Therapeutics · NCT00936741
- PHASE2/PHASE3UNKNOWNFacial Hair Reduction Using Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) & Alexandrite LaserNHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde · NCT01461694
- PHASE1COMPLETEDRelative Bioavailability Study of Bicalutamide 50 mg Tablet and Casodex Following a 50 mg Dose in Healthy Subjects Under Fasting ConditionsSandoz · NCT00959335
Wikidata facts
Show 4 more facts
- health specialty
- dermatology
- exact match
- purl.obolibrary.org/obo/HP_0001007
- NCI Thesaurus ID
- C61444
- Commons category
- Hirsutism
via Wikidata · CC0
~11 min read
Encyclopedic overview
10 sectionsContents
- Causes
- Endocrine causes
- Non-endocrine causes
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Pharmacologic therapies
- Other methods
- See also
- References
- External links
Hirsutism is excessive body hair on parts of the body where hair is normally absent or minimal. The word is from the early 17th century: from Latin hirsutus meaning "hairy". It usually refers to a male pattern of hair growth in a female that may be a sign of a more serious medical condition, especially if it develops well after puberty. Cultural stigma against hirsutism can cause much psychological distress and social difficulty. Discrimination based on facial hirsutism often leads to the avoidance of social situations and to symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Hirsutism is usually the result of an underlying endocrine imbalance, which may be adrenal, ovarian, or central. It can be caused by increased levels of androgen hormones. The amount and location of the hair is measured by a Ferriman–Gallwey score. It is different from hypertrichosis, which is excessive hair growth anywhere on the body.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “hirsutism” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.