Men’s Baldness on Top Is Tied to Heart Attacks

Men losing their hair should look to their hearts.

A study found that 21- to 55-year-old men who were severely bald at the top were three times more likely to suffer heart attacks than those with full heads of hair.

Men with mild to moderate baldness on top had about a 1 1/2 times greater risk. Men with receding hairlines--even severely receding hairlines--but no baldness on top faced no increased risk.

Findings of the study of 665 male heart-attack victims and 772 similar men who had suffered no heart attacks appear in today’s Journal of the American Medical Assn.

The research was funded by the Upjohn Co., which makes a treatment for baldness.

The hypothesis that baldness may predict coronary artery disease goes back more than 25 years, noted the authors, led by Dr. Samuel M. Lesko of Boston University School of Medicine’s School of Public Health.

The reason for the apparent link remains unknown, they said. They speculated that a male hormone known to be necessary for baldness may have a role in suppressing “good” HDL cholesterol, which protects the heart.

Eight previous studies have explored whether the association truly exists. Researchers who reviewed all eight concluded in 1990 that “a small risk of coronary disease due to baldness may exist, but this risk is smaller than that of well-known risk factors such as smoking and hypertension,” said an editorial in the journal.

Dr. Richard J. Carroll, a cardiologist at Loyola University Medical Center, said men who are losing hair on top should view it “more as a marker for a potential problem rather than as a potential problem itself.” He said they should get screened for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other traits that might increase their likelihood of developing heart disease.