A cross-sectional study for alopecia patterns, family history, and diet, reveals early-onset hair loss in residents of Saudi Arabia and a lack of awareness about available treatments

Fawwaz F. Alshammrie; Kamaleldin B. Said; Lujain Hussain Alnasser; Hisham Ali Al Yateem; Mohammed Hassan Alghozwi; Abdulmajeed Mazi Alanazi; Ahmed Mohammed Al-Zain; Khaled Homoud Almozaini; Abdullah A. Alrashidi

doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1760797629

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Original Article
Online Published: 07 Dec 2025

IJMDC. 2025; 9(11): 2729-2737

doi: 10.24911/IJMDC.51-1760797629

A cross-sectional study for alopecia patterns, family history, and diet, reveals early-onset hair loss in residents of Saudi Arabia and a lack of awareness about available treatments

Fawwaz F. Alshammrie, Kamaleldin B. Said, Lujain Hussain Alnasser, Hisham Ali Al Yateem, Mohammed Hassan Alghozwi, Abdulmajeed Mazi Alanazi, Ahmed Mohammed Al-zain, Khaled Homoud Almozaini, Abdullah A. Alrashidi.

Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to characterize age at onset, family aggregation, diet-related perceptions, and treatment use regarding androgenetic alopecia (AGA) in a large Saudi sample, and to test age-specific associations and sex-stratified odds ratios.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted across the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central regions of Saudi Arabia from 1st January to 30th November 2024. Recruitment combined an online questionnaire and in-person interviews in dermatology clinics at King Fahad Specialist Hospital-Dammam, and inpatient consultations at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare Pediatrics and Internal Medicine departments. Residents aged ≥10 years were eligible; minors (10-17 years) participated through guardian consent/assent. Incomplete responses were excluded. The instrument captured demographics, family history, age at onset, diet-related perceptions, and treatments.
Results: Among 1,010 participants, 731 (72.4%) were women and 498 (49.3%) were aged 20-29 years. Onset clustered at 10-19 years (50.9%) and 20-29 years (23.3%). Familial aggregation was frequent (~71% had a first-degree relative or cousin affected). Shedding during combing was reported by 63.2% of women and 31.5% of men. Minoxidil use was limited (11.9% overall; 21.1% in men vs. 8.3% in women), and nearly half
reported doing nothing for their condition. Age-ordered χ² tests were significant in adolescents (p-value = 0.001), young adults (p < 0.001), and overall; the sex-specific odds ratio was highest at 20-29 years (OR = 3.97).
Conclusion: In this female-leaning Saudi resident cohort, AGA often began before age 30 years, showed strong familial tendencies, and low uptake of evidence-based therapies despite a meaningful symptom burden.

Key words: Androgenetic alopecia, early-onset hair loss, dihydrotestosterone, minoxidil, finasteride, Saudi residents.

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Pubmed Style

Alshammrie FF, Said KB, Alnasser LH, Yateem HAA, Alghozwi MH, Alanazi AM, Al-zain AM, Almozaini KH, Alrashidi AA. A cross-sectional study for alopecia patterns, family history, and diet, reveals early-onset hair loss in residents of Saudi Arabia and a lack of awareness about available treatments. IJMDC. 2025; 9(11): 2729-2737. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1760797629

Web Style

Alshammrie FF, Said KB, Alnasser LH, Yateem HAA, Alghozwi MH, Alanazi AM, Al-zain AM, Almozaini KH, Alrashidi AA. A cross-sectional study for alopecia patterns, family history, and diet, reveals early-onset hair loss in residents of Saudi Arabia and a lack of awareness about available treatments. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=291167 [Access: June 28, 2026]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1760797629

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Alshammrie FF, Said KB, Alnasser LH, Yateem HAA, Alghozwi MH, Alanazi AM, Al-zain AM, Almozaini KH, Alrashidi AA. A cross-sectional study for alopecia patterns, family history, and diet, reveals early-onset hair loss in residents of Saudi Arabia and a lack of awareness about available treatments. IJMDC. 2025; 9(11): 2729-2737. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1760797629

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Alshammrie FF, Said KB, Alnasser LH, Yateem HAA, Alghozwi MH, Alanazi AM, Al-zain AM, Almozaini KH, Alrashidi AA. A cross-sectional study for alopecia patterns, family history, and diet, reveals early-onset hair loss in residents of Saudi Arabia and a lack of awareness about available treatments. IJMDC. (2025), [cited June 28, 2026]; 9(11): 2729-2737. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1760797629

Harvard Style

Alshammrie, F. F., Said, . K. B., Alnasser, . L. H., Yateem, . H. A. A., Alghozwi, . M. H., Alanazi, . A. M., Al-zain, . A. M., Almozaini, . K. H. & Alrashidi, . A. A. (2025) A cross-sectional study for alopecia patterns, family history, and diet, reveals early-onset hair loss in residents of Saudi Arabia and a lack of awareness about available treatments. IJMDC, 9 (11), 2729-2737. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1760797629

Turabian Style

Alshammrie, Fawwaz F., Kamaleldin B. Said, Lujain Hussain Alnasser, Hisham Ali Al Yateem, Mohammed Hassan Alghozwi, Abdulmajeed Mazi Alanazi, Ahmed Mohammed Al-zain, Khaled Homoud Almozaini, and Abdullah A. Alrashidi. 2025. A cross-sectional study for alopecia patterns, family history, and diet, reveals early-onset hair loss in residents of Saudi Arabia and a lack of awareness about available treatments. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 9 (11), 2729-2737. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1760797629

Chicago Style

Alshammrie, Fawwaz F., Kamaleldin B. Said, Lujain Hussain Alnasser, Hisham Ali Al Yateem, Mohammed Hassan Alghozwi, Abdulmajeed Mazi Alanazi, Ahmed Mohammed Al-zain, Khaled Homoud Almozaini, and Abdullah A. Alrashidi. "A cross-sectional study for alopecia patterns, family history, and diet, reveals early-onset hair loss in residents of Saudi Arabia and a lack of awareness about available treatments." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 9 (2025), 2729-2737. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1760797629

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Alshammrie, Fawwaz F., Kamaleldin B. Said, Lujain Hussain Alnasser, Hisham Ali Al Yateem, Mohammed Hassan Alghozwi, Abdulmajeed Mazi Alanazi, Ahmed Mohammed Al-zain, Khaled Homoud Almozaini, and Abdullah A. Alrashidi. "A cross-sectional study for alopecia patterns, family history, and diet, reveals early-onset hair loss in residents of Saudi Arabia and a lack of awareness about available treatments." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 9.11 (2025), 2729-2737. Print. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1760797629

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Alshammrie, F. F., Said, . K. B., Alnasser, . L. H., Yateem, . H. A. A., Alghozwi, . M. H., Alanazi, . A. M., Al-zain, . A. M., Almozaini, . K. H. & Alrashidi, . A. A. (2025) A cross-sectional study for alopecia patterns, family history, and diet, reveals early-onset hair loss in residents of Saudi Arabia and a lack of awareness about available treatments. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 9 (11), 2729-2737. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1760797629

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