Saw this article in the Los Angeles Times and though it was interesting. It says that baldness and an enlarged prostate are linked to each other according to a study done by Spanish researchers. Any doctors out there care to comment?


Male-pattern baldness and an enlarged prostate go hand in hand, Spanish researchers reported Monday at a San Francisco meeting of the American Urological Assn. The findings hint that early hair loss could be sign that men are going to develop prostate disease and that preventive treatment should be begun, they said.

Male pattern baldness, formally known as androgenetic alopecia, is the most common type of hair loss in men. It is associated with higher-than-normal levels of an enzyme known as 5-alpha-reductase, which converts the male hormone testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. Baldness results from a genetic defect that renders hair follicles more susceptible to the influence of dihydrotestosterone, causing them to shrink when exposed to it. The enzyme also plays a role in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and researchers have long speculated about a link between the two conditions. In fact, Propecia, a drug that is used to combat hair loss, contains the same ingredient -- finasteride -- as Proscar, which is used to prevent or treat BPH. It inhibits 5-alpha-reductase.

The Spanish researchers studied 30 men with early-onset male pattern baldness and compared them to a group of men with full heads of hair. None of the participants had been diagnosed with BPH or were taking drugs to prevent it. Using ultrasound, the researchers found that the volume of the prostates was 34% larger in the bald men, while their urine flow was 32% lower, indicating that they had an early stage of BPH.

"BPH is a very treatable condition that can significantly impact quality of life if left unchecked," Dr. Kevin T. McVary, a urology association spokesman, said in a statement. "The study suggests that patients with [baldness] should talk with their doctors about any urinary symptoms they may be experiencing so that we can minimize this impact by taking preventative measures."

It doesn`t surprise me John --- I wouldn`t find it at all surprising if it were proved beyond doubt in the future. My father lost his hair quite young, and now aged 79 yrs, he had prostate cancer about 7 years ago -- I know `enlarged`does not equal cancer, but I think any thing which deviates from `norm` should be watched. By the way, I was asking my Doctor about this `PSA`test [a blood test which can detect abnormalities and lead to an early detection of that cancer] He said it`s not very reliable, yet men over age 50 are being told have it annually. [I think P.S.A. stands for `prostate specific antigen` but am open to correction on this --maybe any Doctors reading this could advise ? ]
Paul.

Same story ... dad and my dad's bro is pretty bald and they both have prostate cancer... scary when you think about it :-(

Especially in young balding men there's a link to mutated androgenreceptors. I think it's the same case with the prostate. And that's not good...means that the androgenreceptors take too much androgens which are responsible for tumor/cancer growth in the prostate.
Btw. almost all of my older male relations are bald and NONE of them has prostate cancer.

I heard it isn't DHT what causes prostate cancer but actually high levels of estrogen.