Alopecia-X is characterized by suspension of the hair growth cycle with histopathological findings of atrophic/hormonal dermatosis without systemic clinical symptoms. Although a lot of work has been done on alopecia-X, the pathogenesis of this disease has not yet been fully elucidated.1-6 In the past, a variety of labels were used to describe alopecia X, mostly based on response to various therapies (e.g., growth hormone-responsive alopecia, castration-responsive, pseudo-Cushing's syndrome, adrenal sex hormone dysfunction, biopsy-responsive alopecia and many others).2,5 Some authors claim that alopecia-X is only a cosmetic problem,7 others report a mild adrenal hormone overproduction, mostly caused by steroid hormonal precursors (especially 17-hydroxyprogesterone, including elevated post-ACTH levels),8 leading to mild hyperadrenocorticism without systemic clinical symptoms.8
Although there are strong breeding predispositions in thick-haired dog breeds such as Spitz, Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Samoyed, Chow-Chow and Wolf Spitz, in Miniature Poodles and in our case in a strongly predisposed breed (Pomeranian Spitz), no connection has yet been established between phenotype and a specific gene.10 In addition to the mentioned predisposed breeds, other breeds can also be affected.11