A Hairy Situation: Male Pattern Baldness and Heart Disease

If you suffer from male pattern baldness, this might not be the end of your wellness concerns. This is according to a new study conducted by the British Medical Journal, which found that male pattern baldness is linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

The researchers arrived at this conclusion by analysing studies published on male pattern baldness and coronary heart disease. From their review of medical study databases, the researchers found 850 studies on the subject, with publishing dates ranging from 1950 to 2012. Six of the 850 studies were deemed to be suitable for the current analysis, and, though that seems like an insignificant amount, the studies combined amounted data on almost 40,000 men.

When the scientists analysed three of these studies, which were cohort studies following the men for a period of time, they discovered that, if you’re a man who has lost most of his hair, you are 32% more likely to develop coronary artery disease compared to men who have maintained a full head of hair. The researchers also discovered, when they turned their attention to younger men under the age of 55, the balding men were 44% more likely to develop coronary artery disease.

Analysis of the other three studies, which compared the coronary health of men who were bald and/or balding with men who were not, revealed that balding men were 70% more likely to have coronary artery disease. Again, this risk was higher amongst younger age groups, in which the chance was up to 84% more likely. The researchers also evaluated whether there was a correlation between differing grades of baldness and heart disease risk, determining that the severity of baldness did indeed affect the risk of coronary heart disease.

The study authors cited several possible explanations that baldness is linked to heart disease, noting that baldness indicates insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes), a state of chronic inflammation, and increased sensitivity to testosterone. The researchers concluded, the ‘findings suggest that vertex baldness is more closely associated with systemic atherosclerosis than with frontal baldness. Thus, cardiovascular risk factors should be reviewed carefully in men with vertex baldness, especially younger men.’ They advised that these men should ‘improve their cardiovascular risk profile.’