Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, Vol 53, Issue 5 M347-M350, Copyright © 1998 by The Gerontological Society of America
Longevity and gray hair, baldness, facial wrinkles, and arcus senilis in 13,000 men and women: the Copenhagen City Heart Study
P Schnohr, J Nyboe, P Lange and G Jensen
Epidemiological Research Unit, National University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. [email protected]
BACKGROUND: We have previously reported that men who look older than their
contemporaries have a significantly higher risk for myocardial infarction.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether persons with
pronounced aging signs such as graying of hair, baldness, or facial
wrinkles are prone to a shorter life span compared to their contemporaries.
METHODS: In the Copenhagen City Heart Study comprising a random sample of
20,000 men and women, we also recorded, in addition to cardiovascular risk
factors, data on signs of aging: extent of gray hair, baldness, facial
wrinkles, and arcus senilis (corneal arcus). During 16 years of follow-up,
3,939 persons (1,656 women and 2,283 men) had died. The Cox regression
model for proportional hazards, which included age as an explanatory
variable, was used for descriptive analysis of the correlation between
these aging signs and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: We found no correlation
between the mortality and the extent of graying of the hair, or baldness or
facial wrinkles in either of the sexes, irrespective of age. A single
exception was observed in a small subgroup of men with no gray hair. They
had a slightly, but significantly, lower mortality than the rest [relative
risk (RR) = .81, 95% confidence interval (CI) .67-.98; p < .05]. The
presence of arcus senilis was significantly correlated with a shorter life
span in women (RR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.08-1.46; p < .01). For men the same
tendency was found, but the correlation was not statistically significant.
CONCLUSION: We conclude that the degrees of graying of the hair, baldness,
and facial wrinkles are not predictive of a shorter life span in men and
women in the Copenhagen City Heart Study.
