Data from: The effect of CAG repeats length on differences in hirsutism among healthy Israeli women of different ethnicities

Purpose: Variations in the degree of hirsutism among women of different
ethnic backgrounds may stem from multiple etiologies. Shorter length of
the polymorphic CAG repeats of the androgen receptor (AR) gene may be
associated with increased activity of the receptor leading to hirsutism.
We hypothesized that there are ethnic differences in the degree of
hirsutism that is unrelated to androgen levels among Israeli women, and
that the CAG repeats length may contribute to these differences.
Anti-androgenic therapies, such as spironolactone, could be suggested if a
shorter CAG repeats length is found to affect the difference in the degree
of hirsutism between the ethnic groups. Methods: Healthy Israeli Jewish
women aged 18-45 years of Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi origin were invited
to participate. Hirsutism was assessed using the simplified
Ferriman-Gallwey (sFG) score, and serum total testosterone levels were
measured as well. The CAG repeats length was determined by PCR.
Methylation-sensitive methods were used to detect the fractional activity
of each allele, and the weighted mean was calculated for the CAG repeats
length. Results: One-hundred and eight women were recruited (49 Ashkenazi
and 59 non-Ashkenazi). The Ashkenazi women had a significantly lower
degree of hirsutism (P<0.01), lower mean BMI (P=0.003), total
testosterone levels (P=0.017), and longer weighted bi-allelic CAG repeats
mean (P=0.015) compared to non-Ashkenazi women. For the group as a whole,
there was a significant negative correlation between the number of CAG
repeats in the AR gene and the sFG score, while the number of repeats was
not related to testosterone levels. Stepwise logistic regression revealed
that ethnic origin and the CAG repeats length were the strongest factors
affecting hirsutism (P<0.001, P=0.03, respectively). Conclusions:
There is a significant difference in the degree of hirsutism between
Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi women in Israel that is partially explained by
CAG repeats length.