Severe androgenetic alopecia as a proxy of metabolic syndrome in male psoriatic patients older than 59 years

• Published in: EJD. European journal of dermatology 2014-05, Vol.24 (3), p.356-360
• Main Authors: Descamps, Vincent, Mahé, Emmanuel, Maccari, François, Begon, Edouard, Barthelemy, Hugues, Reguiai, Ziad, Bénéton, Nathalie, Estève, Eric, Chaby, Guillaume, Ruer-Mulard, Mireille, Steiner, Henry-Georges, Thomas-Beaulieu, Domitille, Avenel-Audran, Martine, Goujon-Henry, Catherine, Sigal, Michele-Lea, Ezzedine, Khaled, Beauchet, Alain
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Alopecia - complications; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dermatology; Hair and nails disorders; Humans; Investigative Report; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic diseases; Metabolic Syndrome - complications; Metabolic Syndrome - diagnosis; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Other metabolic disorders; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Prospective Studies; Psoriasis - complications; Psoriasis. Parapsoriasis. Lichen; Severity of Illness Index; Skin, nail, hair, dermoskeleton
• ISSN: 1167-1122; 1952-4013
• DOI: 10.1684/ejd.2014.2346

Background Whereas several studies have underlined the association between severe psoriasis and metabolic syndrome (MetS), the association of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and MetS have yielded inconsistent results. Objective To investigate the relationship between AGA and the components of MetS in a population of psoriatic male patients. Methods A non-interventional, cross-sectional, multicenter study was conducted in France. A standardized questionnaire was completed, including information on components of MetS and other possible risk factors. MetSwas defined in this study as a combination of three or more of the four components of MetS:waist circumference, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. In addition, a standardized simplified Norwood classification limited into 5 grades (0–4) was used. Results In a total of 1073 male patients, hypertension, high waist circumference, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia were observed in 28%, 59%, 11%, and 31%, respectively. In age-adjusted multivariate analysis, severe AGA (grade 3–4 versus grade 0) was associated with the presence of at least one component of MetS. By groups of age, a statistically significant association of severe AGA and MetS was demonstrated in patients over 59 years. SevereAGAwas also associated with a first degree familial history of major cardiovascular event in patients older than 59 years. Conclusions Our study, based on a simplified but stringent definition of MetS, confirmed the link between severe AGA and individual components of MetS in psoriatic patients. This argues for careful follow-up with regular screening in male psoriatic patients with severe AGA in order to early detect determinants of MetS.