Male baldness linked to higher incidence of heart disease

A Harvard study examined the relationship between hair loss and heart conditions, including nonfatal heart attacks, angina or chest pains, and procedures to open blocked coronary arteries. "We found men with extensive baldness that involves the top of their heads have the greatest risk of heart disease," says JoAnn Manson, a professor at Harvard Medical School. "However, those with mild frontal hair loss, or a receding hair line, have no appreciable increase in risk." Compared with men with no hair loss, risks for such events increased 9 percent in those starting to lose hair on the front of their heads. When a bald spot appears on the crown, relative risk jumps to 23 percent. When all hair is gone from the top of the head, the risk rises to a worrisome 36 percent.