Importance: Identifying predictors of mortality from diabetes mellitus (DM) and heart disease can help shape treatment strategies. Presence of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) might be such a predictor.
Objective: To determine whether the presence of AGA is associated with an elevated rate of mortality from DM and heart disease in both sexes after adjustment for potential confounders.
Design: A population-based prospective cohort study.
Setting: Community-based integrated screening in Taiwan.
Participants: A total of 7252 subjects aged 30 to 95 years participated in the baseline AGA survey using the Norwood and Ludwig classifications between April and June 2005. Baseline information on metabolic syndrome (MetS) and other possible risk factors was also collected. We then followed this cohort over time to ascertain death and cause of death until December 2010. INTERVENTIONS OR EXPOSURES: Application of Norwood and Ludwig ALA classifications to study population.
Main outcomes and measures: Deaths from DM and heart disease.
Results: Among the 7126 subjects (2429 men and 4697 women) who provided complete data, there were 70 deaths from DM and heart disease during the 57-month follow-up period. Subjects with moderate to severe AGA vs normal or mild AGA had a significantly higher risk of mortality from DM (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 2.97; 95% CI, 1.26-7.01) (P = .01) and heart disease (adjusted HR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.00-5.23) (P = .05) after adjusting for age, family history of DM or heart disease, and MetS.
Conclusions and relevance: AGA is an independent predictor of mortality from DM and heart disease in both sexes. This finding may have significant implications for the identification of risk factors for DM and heart disease in patients with moderate or severe AGA, regardless of whether MetS is present.