Prevalence of Hair Loss among Men and its Association with Smoking and Stress: A Case Study in the City of Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

Aim: To explore the prevalence of hair loss and its relation to men’s stress and smoking, Methodology: A cross sectional study attempts to explore the prevalence of baldness among the male residents of Lahore. For this purpose, a randomized sample of the male population was taken into consideration. The socio-demographic details, along with the smoking status of the sample were determined. Moreover, the body mass index (BMI) was also determined by referring to a prefixed formula. Baldness and stress levels were also quantified by taking into account the Norwood Hamilton categorical scale, and the perceived stress scale, respectively. A total of 250 male members were invited to participate in the research. Results: The study results showed that 51.2%, 41.2% and 7.6%of male experienced moderate, high and low level of stress respectively. When taking the Norwood Hamilton categorical scale into account, the results revealed that most prevalent type of baldness was Type II, which is the fronto-temporal hairline recession, with 19.2% of the individuals experiencing it. Age was significantly associated with baldness. Similarly a higher frequency of baldness was recorded in those men who lived in a nuclear family arrangement. Conclusion: No association was found between the type of baldness, stress level and smoking status. Keyword: Alopecia, Baldness, Norwood Hamilton categorical scale, Perceived stress scale, smoking