Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Metabolic Syndrome, and Androgenic Alopecia: Is There a Possible Relationship?

The 2016 study with 400 participants explored the relationship between androgenetic alopecia (AGA), benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and metabolic syndrome. It found that those with AGA had a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome (51% vs 28%) and BPH (36% vs 6.8%) compared to those without AGA. The AGA group also had significantly higher waist circumference, body mass index, fibrinogen level, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and glycosylated haemoglobin. The study concluded that both BPH and metabolic syndrome were significant independent variables associated with AGA, suggesting that patients with early-onset AGA should be monitored for urinary symptoms and metabolic syndrome symptoms for early diagnosis of BPH and cardiovascular risk factors respectively.