Association analysis of oestrogen receptor beta gene ( ESR2 ) polymorphisms with female pattern hair loss

Funding sources: we gratefully acknowledge Epiderm (formerly the Australasian Dermatology Research and Education Foundation) for funding this study. The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study is supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (grants 209057, 251533, 396414, 504711). Cohort recruitment and follow‐up is funded by The Cancer Council Victoria. J.A.E. is supported by a NHMRC capacity building grant in population health. Conflicts of interest: none declared. Madam, Recently, we reported an association of female pattern hair loss (FPHL) with polymorphism of the gene encoding aromatase (CYP19A1),1 the enzyme that converts androgens to oestrogens. The same polymorphism had previously been associated with higher oestrogen levels in postmenopausal women.2 Our findings therefore suggested that oestrogen might be important in FPHL risk. We now extend our previous work to include ESR2, encoding oestrogen receptor beta,3 the predominant oestrogen receptor within the hair follicle, and thought to be the principal mediator of oestrogenic effects in hair growth.4