-IBIS-1.5.0-
tx
endocrine system
hirsutism
diagnoses

definition and etiology

definition:
Variable development of some male physical characteristics in a woman, the most familiar being hypertrichosis.

While normal or desirable amount of hair on the female body is culturally determined, hair on the face, breasts, and abdomen may be undesirable. It is present in about 30% of women.

etiology:
It may be familial or idiopathic, as determined by history, examination and finding a normal amount of testosterone levels. In these females, normal amounts of androgens stimulate hypersensitive hair follicles. It has been controlled with ovarian suppression.

signs and symptoms

• Hair on the face, breasts, and abdomen of a female.

course and prognosis

May occur in response to hormonal changes associated with puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Depending on etiology, may or may not resolve with medical treatment, leaving only cosmetic approaches where the appearance is deemed unacceptable.

differential diagnosis

• Virilism: which is accompanied by clitoromegaly, acne, temporal balding, and increased muscle mass as well as hirsutism.
• adrenal hyperplasia
• congenital adrenal hyperplasia
• basophilic adenoma of the pituitary
• ovarian tumor
• hyperleutinization
• hilar cell hyperplasia
• ovotestes
• Stein-Leventhal syndrome (polycystic ovary syndrome)


footnotes