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Baldness and Prostate Cancer Mortality Risk

Am J Epidemiol; 2016 Mar; Zhou, Levin, et al

Publish date:: March 9, 2016

Patterned hair loss is linked with a higher risk of fatal prostate cancer, supporting the possibility of overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms, according to an analysis of more than 4,300 men from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study.

Among the results:

• 3,284 deaths occurred during an average of 21 years’ follow-up.

• Prostate cancer was the underlying cause of 107 deaths.

• Baldness was associated with a 56% higher risk of fatal prostate cancer, compared to those without baldness.

• Moderate balding was linked with an 83% higher risk.

• Patterned hair loss was not significantly associated with all-cause mortality.

Citation: Zhou C, Levin P, Cleary S, Hoffman H, Graubard B, Cook M. Male pattern baldness in relation to prostate cancer–specific mortality: A prospective analysis in the NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2016; 183(3):210-217. 10.1093/aje/kwv190.

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