Losing your hair might mean more heartache than you think.
A study of 872 men, aged 25 to 65, conducted in Italy found that the 32 percent who had male-pattern baldness — hereditary hair loss at the front of and on the crown of the head — had significantly higher cholesterol levels and slightly higher blood pressures than did those men with a receding hairline or a full head of hair. Both factors — cholesterol and blood pressure– have been linked to heart-disease risk.
Researcher Dr. Maurizio Trevisan, of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine, conjectures that hyper production of or increased sensitivity to male sex hormones, particularly testosterone, may be the common factor. Dihydrotestosterone or DHT, a chemical produced by testosterone, damages hair follicles.
A recent research study at the Harvard Medical School identified the specific kind of baldness that is the symptom of heart trouble. This is the “vertex” baldness which is the loss of hair at the crown or top of the head.
Observations and studies are continuously done to find the most effective way to treat this situation. In the meantime, if you find more and more hair in your drain, you may want to get a head start by in detecting heart disease by having periodic checkups.