Association of benign prostatic hyperplasia with male pattern baldness

Both benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia) share the pathogenesis of an androgen-dependent disorder and afflict a large population of elderly men with chronobiologic progress. However, it is unclear whether these diseases are related epidemiologically. We evaluated the association of frequency and severity of male pattern baldness between patients with BPH and a control group.

A total of 225 patients with BPH (mean age 69.3 +/- 6.5 years) and 1 60 controls (mean age 68.5 +/- 6.4 years), all over 60 years of age, were included in this study. The estimation of baldness severity was based on Norwood's classification (grade I to VII). The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and genetic tendency for baldness were also evaluated. The difference between IPSS and grade of baldness between the two groups was analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test and the frequency of inherited baldness was compared by the chi-square test. Correlation between severity of baldness and IPSS in each group was estimated by Spearman's rank correlation method.

The patients with BPH had an apparently higher grade of male pattern baldness in comparison with that of controls (median value of grade IV versus III, P <0.001). The proportion of men with male pattern baldness of grade IV or higher in the BPH group was significantly larger than that of controls (53.8% versus 36.9%, P <0.01). There was a greater frequency of inherited baldness in the BPH group than in the controls (31.6% versus 12.5%, P <0.001). No significant correlation was noted between baldness severity and IPSS in either group.

This study demonstrates a strong association of BPH with male pattern baldness.