HairDX Finasteride Response Test Accuracy?
Thanks a lot Dr. for this helpful blog site that keep us well informed about baldness. Two weeks ago, I did a HairDx test (rxr) for finasteride response. Do you think such test is accurate enough to build upon? How much it’s acurate per cent?
There are two HairDX tests — one which shows if you carry the genes for balding, and one which suggests how sensitive you are to finasteride. The statistics on both of these are not 100%, but HairDX doesn’t provide an actual accuracy percentage that I could find. I don’t have enough experience with HairDX to know how accurate they are first hand, but I would expect they’d be as accurate as possible. There are multiple reasons why accuracy could be skewed, including data collection errors, software errors, and disease.
It’s also worth noting that their Service Agreement page does say, “HairDX is providing no guarantee that the Service measurements will be successful or provide accurate results.”
I have been researching this area of gene expression and hair loss phamacogenetics. In my opinion, there is little to zero evidense that this or any CAG repeat test can predict Finasteride response. I would like to see published an independant review of the science by a well-known authority on the genetics of hair loss and predictive tests. I personally do not advocate Finasteride use for hair loss due to excessive side-effects and feel a test of this kind should only rule out medication rather than push people into taking this particular drug.