Prevalence of androgenetic alopecia in patients and its relationship with the history of coronary heart disease

Background and Aim: Androgenetic alopecia is a type of androgen and genetic dependent hair loss and although it is more of a beauty issue, but in recent years studies have shown that this type of alopecia is associated with underlying disorders such as coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of androgenetic alopecia in hospitalized patients and its relationship with the history of coronary heart disease and its risk factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study, 250 patients (125 women and 125 men) admitted to Shahid Mostafa Khomeini Hospital in Tehran from October to December 2020 were examined and after examination and data collection, the data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software SPSS Statistics 25 version. Results: The prevalence of alopecia was generally 46.8% in hospitalized patients, 61.6% in men and 32% in women. The prevalence of coronary heart disease in hospitalized patients was 25.6%, 34.4% in men and 16.8% in women. In patients with alopecia, the frequency of history of coronary heart disease was 39.31%, the history of hypertension was 20.8%, history of hyperlipidemia was 17.2%, history of diabetes was 14.4% and the smoking history was 15.6%. All of these factors were significantly associated with alopecia, except for smoking. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the frequency of androgenetic alopecia in patients admitted to the hospital is common and its prevalence in men is more than twice that of women. History of coronary heart disease and its risk factors in patients with alopecia are high, and have a significant relationship with it. This can be important and help in screening and early diagnosis of coronary heart disease and its subsequent prevention.