Aging signs like baldness may predict heart attacks

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Can predicting your heart attack risk be as simple as looking in a mirror?

A new study presented at the American Heart Association annual meeting Tuesday links visible signs of aging to an increased risk for heart disease and heart attack.

"Checking these visible aging signs should be a routine part of every doctor's physical examination," study author Dr. Anne Tybjaerg-Hansen, a professor of clinical biochemistry at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, said in a press release.

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For the study, which is considered preliminary since it's yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, Danish researchers reviewed nearly 11,000 people ages 40 and older who were enrolled in the Copenhagen Heart Study.

After a 35-year follow-up period, the researchers identified 3,401 participants who developed heart disease and 1,708 who had a heart attack.

A closer look at their appearances found those who had three-to-four signs of aging were 57 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack and 39 percent more likely to develop heart disease. Those aging signs were: receding hairlines, baldness, earlobe creases or wrinkles, or yellow fatty deposits around the eyelid, known as xanthelasma.

These aging signs predicted heart attack and heart disease independent of traditional risk factors for heart problems.

Risk was also elevated in people who possessed only one of these aging signs. Fatty deposits around the eyes were the strongest individual predictor of both heart attack and heart disease, the researchers found. People with diabetes and high cholesterol and high levels of fat in their blood are more likely to develop xanthelasmata, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The highest risk for heart problems was for those in their 70s and those who had multiple signs of aging.

"These subtle skin findings are a helpful part of every clinician's routine physical exam screening," Dr. David Friedman, chief of heart failure services at North Shore-LIJ's Plainview Hospital in Plainview, N.Y. who was not involved in the research, told HealthDay. However, "One shouldn't jump to conclusions if slight fatty skin bumps around the eyes or certain patterns of baldness are seen," he said.

[eroteme2]

Holy Cow! A new 'study'!

[johnlockesghost]

Ridiculous!

[the_witness]

THIS is the dumbest study in the history of mankind. Of course this is how retarded the boomer fiscal majority must be.
Look, aging is a result of the same things that cause heart attacks to ***HYPERINSULEMIA***. Advanced Glycation End products (from frying/overcooking your food, INFLAMMATION (Tgf-beta aka.TNF-alpha causes a spike in follastatin that activin can't work without and releases insulin).

OMG. These corrupt "scientists" have a serious conflict of interest with Metformin/glucophage makers since the press can't even speak about high fructose corn syrup or the fact that Metformin raises GLP-1 (WHICH RAISES INSULIN!!!)

So corrupt. The medical code of Ethics or the Hippocratic Oath hasn't been applied and Big Pharma WILL be natural selection for the baby boomers.

Just don't put it on medicare.

[024PerfidiousAlbion]

You have a higher chance of a heart attack as you look & get older? Who'd of thunk that? It's almost as news worthy as if someone were to eat three plus meals a day at McDonalds and gain weight. Why doesn't someone do an inane documentary on that? OOOPPSSS!!!Never mind someone already did. The article states: "...The highest risk for heart problems was for those in their 70s and those who had multiple signs of aging...." Being that the present USA life expectancy is somewhere around 78 years old it seems to me that some people will be expected to have aging and heart related issues and this should not be surprising nor newsworhty at all!

[rubenken]

Wow, now I can carry around a portable defibrillator in a little back pack. That was really useful info (not).

[john92021]

more doctors with PHD's for the obvious.

[nancy_naive]

Ph.D.

[bobsqpa]

Yes it's a bit obvious! Though I'd like to know if either actual age or apparent age is more related to heart attacks and death. If you look much younger than you actually are, are you less likely to die or are you actually more your age inside. Is youth skin deep?!

The fatty deposits around the eyes thing isn't a classic mark of ageing really, more of a classic mark of high cholesterol and fat!

[cnesr]

Baldness or receding hairline? I'm getting that hair transplant right away.

[nohater]

aging increases risk of death, no surprise. three of the four signs are old news but the fatty tissue around the eyes is a new one on me. sean connery, burt reynolds two that come to mind have been bald a long time and still alive. then there is ted danson bald since doing cheers or before.

[hornsnbr1]

Wow, getting old increases risk of death...how much money was wasted on this little gem of common knowledge ?