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Background <p>Alopecia X (AX)—also referred to as hair cycle arrest or Alopecia X-like syndrome—is a non-inflammatory disorder common in Pomeranians, though it frequently affects other breeds such as Alaskan Malamutes, Chow Chows, Schipperkes, and Poodles. Historically known by various names including growth hormone-responsive alopecia, castration-responsive alopecia and congenital adrenal hyperplasia-like syndrome, this condition represents a complex follicular arrest of “plush-coated” breeds.</p> <p>The etiopathogenesis remains unclear, and reliable, minimally invasive diagnostic biomarkers are lacking. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is essential for hair follicle cycling, and systemic deficiency has been hypothesized to contribute to canine alopecia. This study aimed to determine if serum IGF-1 concentrations differ between Pomeranian dogs with AX and healthy controls, and to evaluate the effect of neuter status on IGF-1 levels.</p> Results <p>Thirty client-owned Pomeranian dogs (11 AX, 19 healthy controls) were enrolled. Serum IGF-1 concentrations were measured via a human competitive ELISA kit validated in-house for canine samples. Data were non-normally distributed and analyzed via Mann-Whitney U tests. No significant difference in serum IGF-1 was detected between alopecic (median: 62.0 ng/mL; range: 7.31–151) and healthy dogs (median: 51.8 ng/mL; range: 7.43–209.76) (U = 74, <i>p</i> = 0.200). Neuter status was significantly imbalanced between groups (63.6% of cases neutered vs. 10.5% of controls, <i>p</i> = 0.002). While neutered dogs exhibited numerically higher mean IGF-1 values than intact dogs within the alopecic group, this difference was not statistically significant (<i>p</i> = 0.412). No correlation was found between IGF-1 and age or body weight.</p> Conclusions <p>Serum IGF-1 concentrations are not reduced in Pomeranian dogs with Alopecia X compared to healthy controls. Routine measurement of serum IGF-1 is not recommended as a diagnostic test for AX. The role of gonadectomy in modulating the GH/IGF-1 axis in this breed requires further investigation with larger, balanced cohorts.</p>

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Serum insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrations are not reduced in Pomeranian dogs with Alopecia X: a case-control study

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月13日

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  • Zahra Halajian,
  • Javad Khoshnegah,
  • Abbas Parham

摘要

Background

Alopecia X (AX)—also referred to as hair cycle arrest or Alopecia X-like syndrome—is a non-inflammatory disorder common in Pomeranians, though it frequently affects other breeds such as Alaskan Malamutes, Chow Chows, Schipperkes, and Poodles. Historically known by various names including growth hormone-responsive alopecia, castration-responsive alopecia and congenital adrenal hyperplasia-like syndrome, this condition represents a complex follicular arrest of “plush-coated” breeds.

The etiopathogenesis remains unclear, and reliable, minimally invasive diagnostic biomarkers are lacking. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is essential for hair follicle cycling, and systemic deficiency has been hypothesized to contribute to canine alopecia. This study aimed to determine if serum IGF-1 concentrations differ between Pomeranian dogs with AX and healthy controls, and to evaluate the effect of neuter status on IGF-1 levels.

Results

Thirty client-owned Pomeranian dogs (11 AX, 19 healthy controls) were enrolled. Serum IGF-1 concentrations were measured via a human competitive ELISA kit validated in-house for canine samples. Data were non-normally distributed and analyzed via Mann-Whitney U tests. No significant difference in serum IGF-1 was detected between alopecic (median: 62.0 ng/mL; range: 7.31–151) and healthy dogs (median: 51.8 ng/mL; range: 7.43–209.76) (U = 74, p = 0.200). Neuter status was significantly imbalanced between groups (63.6% of cases neutered vs. 10.5% of controls, p = 0.002). While neutered dogs exhibited numerically higher mean IGF-1 values than intact dogs within the alopecic group, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.412). No correlation was found between IGF-1 and age or body weight.

Conclusions

Serum IGF-1 concentrations are not reduced in Pomeranian dogs with Alopecia X compared to healthy controls. Routine measurement of serum IGF-1 is not recommended as a diagnostic test for AX. The role of gonadectomy in modulating the GH/IGF-1 axis in this breed requires further investigation with larger, balanced cohorts.