A alopecia androgenética na consulta de tricologia do Hospital Geral de Santo António (cidade do Porto, Portugal) entre 2004 e 2006: estudo descritivo com componente analítico

background: androgenetic alopecia is the most frequent cause of progressive hair loss. it usually affects individuals with genetic predisposition and sufficient circulating androgens. objective: to assess the clinical and epidemiology aspects of androgenetic alopecia in females. methods: a cross-sectional and descriptive study was performed. the sample comprised a group of women with androgenetic alopecia seen in trichology consultation from 2004 to 2006. the results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test. results: a total of 200 women with clinical diagnosis of androgenetic alopecia were studied. family history was detected in 68% of patients, and the most common site was frontoparietal hairline. the laboratory tests showed that 17% of females had low zinc and 9% low albumin and ferritin levels. twenty percent of patients presented changes in hormone levels. conclusion: the most common laboratory finding in the patients studied was hormone changes.