Etiology of hirsutism. Is there a correlation between menstrual regularity, body mass index and severity of hirsutism with the cause?

Background Hirsutes having regular menstrual history or with body mass index (BMI) within normal range or mild hirsutism are often taken as idiopathic hirsutism. Objective To investigate the etiology of hirsutism in patients presenting in the Fauji Foundation Hospital (FFH), Rawalpindi and to determine if menstrual regularity, BMI and severity of hirsutism correlates with the cause. Patients and methods It was a descriptive study over a period of fourteen months in the departments of Dermatology and Gynecology Obstetrics of FFH, Rawalpindi. Females who presented to either department with hirsutism were enrolled in this study. A detailed history, clinical examination with special reference to Ferriman-Gallwey (FG) scoring system, endocrinological workup and abdominopelvic ultrasonography (USG) was done in all patients. SPSS version 12 was used for statistical analysis. Results Out of a total of 71 patients, the commonest cause of hirsutism in our study was polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in 57.7%. Idiopathic hirsutism was present in 22.6% and late onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia in 9.9% patients. Hyperprolactinemia and thyroid disorders were diagnosed in 4.2% respectively. One (1.4 %) patient had multiple etiologies. The correlation between menstrual regularity, BMI and severity of hirsutism with the cause of hirsutism was not statistically significant (p 0.05). Conclusion PCOS is the commonest cause in our study population. The correlation of menstrual regularity, BMI and severity of hirsutism with its cause is not statistically significant.