Baldness, premature greying may up heart disease risk in men

While diabetes mellitus, hypertension, family history of premature coronary artery disease, central obesity, higher body mass index, dyslipidaemia and smoking were predictors of coronary artery disease it was to a lesser extent than male-pattern baldness, premature greying, and obesity. 

New Delhi: A study says that men under 40 years of age who are greying 

prematurely and going bald may be at five-fold risk of developing heart disease.

The findings show that both male-pattern baldness and premature greying 

were stronger risk factors than obesity, which was associated with a four-fold 

risk of early heart disease.

While diabetes mellitus, hypertension, family history of premature coronary 

artery disease, central obesity, higher body mass index, dyslipidaemia and 

smoking were predictors of coronary artery disease it was to a lesser extent 

than male-pattern baldness, premature greying, and obesity, the researchers 

said.

The young men with coronary artery disease were found with a higher 

prevalence of premature greying (50 per cent versus 30 per cent) and 

male-pattern baldness (49 per cent versus 27 per cent) compared to people 

without the condition. 

"Premature greying and androgenic alopecia (male-pattern baldness) correlate

well with vascular age irrespective of chronological age and are plausible risk 

factors for coronary artery disease," said Sachin Patil, from the UN Mehta 

Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre in Gujarat.

For the study, presented at the 69th Annual Conference of the Cardiological 

Society of India (CSI) in Kolkata, the team included 790 men aged less than 40

years with coronary artery disease and 1,270 age-matched healthy men who 

acted as a control group.

After adjusting for age and other cardiovascular risk factors, male-pattern 

baldness was associated with a 5.6 times greater risk of coronary artery 

disease and premature greying was associated with a 5.3 times greater risk.

Male-pattern baldness and premature greying were the strongest predictors of

coronary artery disease in men followed by obesity, which was associated with

a 4.1 times greater risk.