The number of young men approaching doctors to get treatment for abnormal hair loss, partial or complete baldness, and premature greying has never been higher.
The early signs of hair loss, especially among those in their 30s, are usually categorised into
- telogen effluvium: involves temporary hair loss (and includes hair thinning)
- androgenetic alopecia: is permanent. Those shedding more than 100 strands of hair from their body daily are at risk
While androgenetic alopecia is observed in the majority of men, telogen effluvium is the second-most common type of hair loss and of lesser concern. Stress is a common cause in both the conditions.
Causes of hair loss
“Though the condition is genetic, stress, dietary habits and lifestyle changes are the most common causes of alopecia among men. However, the condition can be managed and even reversed — with surgical and non-surgical methods — when diagnosed early. Hence, it is essential for youngsters to visit experienced trichologists immediately after the onset of symptoms,” said Dr Kalpana Sarangi, senior consultant, dermatology and trichology, Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, Mumbai.
Unhealthy dietary habits (increase in consumption of junk and processed foods) and a sedentary lifestyle (spending too many hours indoors, particularly in desk-related employment) are among the primary culprits. The immense work- and deadline-related stress in the corporate world, for example, worsens matters. All these factors combined also lead to early heart-related ailments.
Correlation with coronary artery disease?
The findings of a 2017 European Society of Cardiology study, which had more than 2,000 young Indian men as participants, indicated a correlation between premature baldness and hair greying and coronary artery disease (as compared with men sporting a normal hairline).
The study said one of the possible reasons for baldness is males ageing faster biologically due to lifestyle and dietary habits, which shows up in different forms such as premature greying and coronary artery disease.
The study investigated the association of premature hair greying and alopecia patterns in young Indian men with coronary artery disease. It included 790 men aged less than 40 years with coronary artery disease and 1,270 age-matched healthy men who acted as a control group. The researchers analysed the correlation between premature grey hair and alopecia with the complexity and severity of angiographic lesions (an indicator of coronary artery disease), and compared the results between the two groups.
“The researchers found that young men with coronary artery disease had a higher prevalence of premature greying (50% versus 30%) and male-pattern baldness (49% versus 27%) compared to healthy controls. After adjusting for age and other cardiovascular risk factors, male-pattern baldness was associated with a 5.6 times greater risk of coronary artery disease and premature greying and hair loss was associated with a 5.3 times greater risk,” reads the study report.
A similar study published by the medical trade journal BMJ, was conducted on 37,000 Japanese men. It concluded that balding men were 32 per cent more prone to having coronary health ailments.
Treatment for coronary artery disease
In India, almost 28 per cent to 30 per cent of alopecia patients are in the 19-30 age bracket. Dr Sarangi says the problem has increasingly become common among youngsters in the past few years.
To reverse and reduce coronary heart ailment-related risks, doctors recommend correcting dietary habits by having timely, regular and healthy meals but also say that this has to be combined with adequate exposure to vitamin D3 through sunlight, iron intake, lesser stress and exercise. Consultation with a doctor would also help in case any medication has to be prescribed to arrest hair fall.
