WEDNESDAY, March 18, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Early-onset androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is associated with diabetes mellitus (DM), according to a study published online March 3 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Jiayu He, Ph.D., from the Shenzhen Center for Chronic Disease Control in China, and colleagues examined the prevalence of AGA in Southern China and assessed its link to cardiometabolic risks in a population-based study conducted in Shenzhen.

The researchers found that the prevalence of AGA was 18.94 percent in 11,968 participants and was higher in men than women (32.42 versus 7.12 percent). Higher rates of obesity, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, DM, and hypertension were exhibited by AGA patients. In AGA patients aged 18 to 49 years, but not in those aged older than 50 years, a significantly higher prevalence of DM was seen. There was a significant negative age-DM interaction on AGA. AGA was associated with DM, impaired fasting glucose, fasting glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L, and hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5 percent in adults younger than 45 years in multivariable analyses after rigorous adjustment (odds ratios, 1.66, 1.45, 1.86, and 1.65, respectively). In adults older than 45 years, no associations were seen.

"Early-onset AGA could serve as a visible indicator of DM risk in young and middle-aged adults, and thus merits integration into preventive health strategies," the authors write.

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