Hair loss due to aging is a common problem in both men and women. Researchers in England and Germany have discovered new genetic links to male pattern baldness.

Felix F. Brockschmidt, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Bonn and one of the researchers, said that it's the second genetic connection to the kind of hair loss that many men -- and women -- experience as they grow older.  

Study of the DNA from 5,000 volunteers with and without male-pattern baldness showed two stretches of the genome linked with the condition. The first gene location, on the X chromosome, was identified only a few years ago. A man has only one copy of the X chromosome, inherited from his mother. The new gene locus is on chromosome 20. 

Brockschmidt added that the first gene known until now is on the X chromosome. It is the most important for alopecia [hair loss]. He claims that researchers are sure that this new locus found is the second most important. 

He added that the discovery could open the way for genetic tests to single out men most likely to lose hair as they age. Screening for the X chromosome locus and also for this new one can possibly show the risk of male pattern baldness. 

A German study also found a similar link between hair loss and chromosome 20. 1,125 men assessed for male pattern baldness in this study. Data analysis showed association of two regions on chromosome 20 with the condition. Further study of involving1, 650 men showed a sevenfold increase in the incidence of baldness in the one in seven men carrying variants in both the X chromosome and chromosome 20 regions. 

Dr. George Cotsarelis, director of the Hair and Scalp Clinic at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania said that the new results "are certainly putting us closer to a genetic test for developing alopecia."

He added that the currently marketed genetic test got a low grade from Cotsarelis. "It can predict baldness 60 percent of the time, and 50 percent of men will become bald."