A Study of Association of Premature Graying of Hair and Osteopenia in North Indian Population.

CONTEXT

Hair graying is one of the signs of human aging and is caused by a progressive loss of pigmentation from growing hair shafts. Studies have shown a correlation of early hair graying with osteopenia, indicating that premature graying could serve as an early marker of osteopenia.

AIM

To compare the degree of osteopenia in individuals with premature graying of hair (PGH) compared to ordinary individuals.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN

We conducted an observational, case-control study among 132 healthy individuals between 18 and 30 years of age.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Detailed history and examination of PGH was taken. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed using Furuno CM-200 ultrasound bone densitometer.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

SPSS 21 software was used, and the data were summarized in the form of mean ± standard deviation for quantitative values and percentages for qualitative values. Chi-square test, Student's -test, analysis of variance, and other appropriate tests were applied for comparison, and < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

PGH was present in 82 (62.1%) cases, whereas osteopenia was present in 56 (42.4%) cases. The mean age of onset of graying of hair among the cases was 20.62 ± 3.74 years. A higher age group of 25-30 years ( = 0.016) and family history of PGH ( < 0.001) were significant risk factors for PGH. The mean BMD of the case group was 0.76 ± 1.00 and the control group was 0.68 ± 1.11, but the difference was not statistically significant ( = 0.649).

CONCLUSION

The study concluded that there is no significant association between osteopenia and PGH.