The study, presented at the 69th Annual Conference of the Cardiological Society of India (CSI) in Kolkata, 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 found that young men with coronary artery disease had a higher prevalence of premature greying (50 per cent versus 30 per cent) and male-pattern baldness (49 per cent versus 27 per cent) compared to healthy controls.
"The incidence of coronary artery disease in young men is increasing but cannot be explained by traditional risk factors," said author Sachin Patil, from the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre in Gujarat.
"Premature greying and androgenic alopecia (male-pattern baldness) correlate well with vascular age irrespective of chronological age and are plausible risk factors for coronary artery disease," Patil said.
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Male-pattern baldness and premature greying were the strongest predictors of coronary artery disease in young men followed by obesity, which was associated with a 4.1 times greater risk.
"Baldness and premature greying should be considered risk factors for coronary artery disease. These factors may indicate biological, rather than chronological, age which may be important in determining total cardiovascular risk," said Kamal Sharma, from the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre.
"Currently physicians use common sense to estimate biological age but a validated scale is needed," Sharma said.
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