Gray hair in black males a possible risk factor in coronary artery disease.

Premature gray hair has been reported to be associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) in white males. Premature gray hair also occurs in black males despite a reported lower incidence of coronary artery disease in this group. In order to determine if premature gray hair is associated with coronary artery disease in a black male population, we prospectively studied 120 patients. Forty black males with proven CAD had gray hair in 100 percent of the cases as compared to 55 percent in a control series of 80 black males. The appearance of gray hair occurred at an earlier age in the black patients with CAD. The interrelating mechanism between premature gray hair and CAD in black males is not clearly understood at this time, but we think it represents a clinically significant observation.