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Baldness is a sign of heart problems
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Researchers from Japan reported that men who go bald with age are more likely to suffer from heart disease than those who retain thick hair into old age. According to preliminary data, this pattern is observed only in males; the presence of hair does not affect heart disease in women.
According to experts, those men who start to go bald on the top or back of their head at the age of 30-35 are at risk. If baldness starts at the temples, the risk of developing heart disease is slightly reduced. Men who start to go bald at an early age and those who lose a lot of hair in a short time are most susceptible to heart disease in the future.
At the moment, scientists cannot give a reasoned explanation for the relationship between cardiac problems and baldness. Some experts suggest that baldness can be considered a symptom of dangerous cardiovascular diseases. Others believe that alopecia (baldness) is a sign not of heart disease, but of a hidden illness that can provoke heart disease after some time (for example, resistance and insensitivity of the body to insulin, chronic inflammation or hormonal sensitivity).
In the process of working on the issue, Japanese specialists conducted a comparative analysis of six previous studies that were devoted to the connection between various types of alopecia and cardiac diseases of varying complexity. More than 37,000 male volunteers who suffered from hair loss took part in all the experiments. For eleven years, doctors observed the male representatives, studied their medical histories and checked the test results. The results of the study showed that those men who lost most of their scalp hair by middle age are more than 30% prone to cardiovascular diseases. Upon reaching 65 years, the figure increases to 44-45%.
Previous studies conducted by scientists from other countries have shown that gradually balding men most often suffer from ischemic heart disease. This disease is a pathological condition with impaired blood supply to the myocardium. In other words, the myocardium (the heart muscle that makes up the bulk of its mass) needs more oxygen than it actually receives with the blood.
British scientists analyzed the research conducted at universities in Tokyo (Japan) and shared their findings and conclusions. A representative of the British Heart Foundation reported that at the moment, specialists do not have enough accurate information that confirms the relationship between baldness and heart disease. The British believe that obesity, lack of physical activity, abuse of nicotine and alcoholic beverages can be considered a sign of upcoming cardiac problems. It is these factors that should be paid more attention to than premature baldness, which may have nothing to do with cardiovascular diseases.
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