Is baldness a risk factor for coronary artery disease? A review of the literature.

A literature search identified eight articles containing data on both baldness and coronary artery disease (CAD). Three of these articles described case-control studies that showed a positive relationship between baldness and CAD when controlling for CAD risk factors. Three other case-control studies showed no such relationship, but these did not control for CAD risk factors. The results of two cohort studies were inconclusive. Insufficient data were available from these studies to analyze possible relationships between baldness and CAD risk factors themselves. Overall, the data reviewed suggest that a small risk of CAD due to baldness may exist, but this risk is smaller than that of well-known CAD risk factors such as smoking and hypertension. Future research should emphasize proper control for age and CAD risk factors.