Established Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease Are Unrelated to Androgen-Induced Baldness in Female-to-Male Transsexuals

The 2003 study examined 81 female-to-male transsexuals treated with testosterone and found that 38.3% experienced male-pattern baldness (MPB). However, there was no association found between MPB and risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD), except for a tendency of lower fasting glucose levels in balding subjects. The study concluded that MPB does not indicate an increased CHD risk through androgenic effects on classic CHD risk factors. It also suggested that androgens might not link MPB with established CHD risk factors and that androgen excess is not always present in men with MPB or in women with androgenic alopecia. The study had limitations, including self-assessed MPB evaluation and a relatively small group of subjects.