Balding men are at greater risk of developing heart disease than those with a full head of hair, say researchers.Their findings were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, said they found "a strong relationship" between coronary heart disease and hair loss.
The type of baldness also seemed to have an impact on the likelihood to develop heart disease. Those with frontal baldness had a 9% increased chance of getting heart disease. Compared to men with no hair loss, men whose crowns were completely bald had a 36% greater risk of having a coronary event, including a heart attack and angina. Men with mild crown balding had a 23% greater risk, rising to 32% when balding became moderate.Bald men seem to have a greater number of androgen receptors in their scalps , and androgens may contribute to both atheroscelrosis - build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries - and thrombosis, a susceptibility to blood clots.Researchers also say that heart disease and baldness may be inherited together and they recommended that bald men should be monitored more closely for heart problems.
