Evaluation of serum asprosin level as a marker in androgenetic alopecia patients

Aim: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common hair loss pattern characterized by progressive miniaturization of hair follicles, primarily affecting men. Metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension have been reported to be associated with AGA. Asprosin is a newly discovered adipokine, and its levels have been shown to increase in various metabolic disorders, including obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of our study is to investigate the usefulness of serum asprosin levels as a marker for the diagnosis of androgenetic alopecia and the identification of androgenetic alopecia comorbidities. Materials and Methods: The study included 80 male patients with androgenetic alopecia and 77 healthy controls matched for age. Anthropometric, demographic, medical history, and clinical data were collected. Trichoscopy was performed in all patients to confirm the diagnosis of androgenetic alopecia and they were classified according to the Hamilton-Norwood scale. The presence of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia was assessed. Fasting blood glucose, lipid panel, C-reaktive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, insulin, and serum asprosin levels were measured. Visceral adiposity index was calculated. Comparisons were made between the patient and control groups and between the severity subgroups. Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was significantly higher in the androgenetic alopecia group compared to the control group (p=0.013). LDL and total cholesterol levels were significantly higher in the androgenetic alopecia group compared to the control group (p=0.009 and p=0.021, respectively). There were no significant differences in serum asprosin (p=0.740) and visceral adiposity index levels (p=0.869) between the androgenetic alopecia group and the control group. No significant correlation was found between serum asprosin level and the presence of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. No significant correlation was observed between serum asprosin level and fasting insulin, body mass index, and visceral adiposity index values (p=0.768, p=0.365, p=0.172, p=0.906, and p=0.272, respectively). Visceral adiposity index was statistically significantly correlated with metabolic syndrome, body mass index, insulin resistance, and fasting insulin (p=0.000, p=0.000, p=0.00, and p=0.000, respectively). Trichoscopic examination of the androgenetic alopecia group revealed miniaturized hair as the most common finding in the frontal region, while the most common finding in the vertex region was hair diameter difference. Honeycomb pigmentation was significantly correlated with the severity of androgenetic alopecia. Conclusion: Androgenetic alopecia is associated with a variety of comorbidities, including metabolic syndrome. There was no statistically significant difference in serum asprosin and visceral adiposity index levels between the androgenetic alopecia group and the control group. While no significant correlation was found between serum asprosin levels and metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, we found a statistically significant correlation between visceral adiposity index values and the presence of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. We believe that visceral adiposity index may be a useful indicator for predicting metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases in androgenetic alopecia patients.