Male pattern baldness—hair thinning on the top or crown of the head, but not in front—was linked to a 32% hike in coronary heart disease risk, according to the Japanese team’s study analysis, which featured roughly 37,000 participants. The more severe the baldness, the more serious the heart disease risk—which increased to 48% among the most follically challenged, says study co-author Tomohide Yamada, MD, a member of the University of Tokyo’s department of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases. The hair-heart link might have to do with inflammation, Yamada says. Chronic inflammation—which research has tied to a number of ailments, including heart disease—boosts the number of certain harmful proteins in both your heart’s arteries and your head’s hair follicles. (Click here to learn how you can fight chronic inflammation.) Yamada adds that a number of other complex mechanisms could also explain the relationship. If your hair’s thinning on top, a visit to your doctor’s office might be a good idea if you’re experiencing some other symptoms of heart trouble, says Ted Epperly, MD, a clinical professor of family medicine at the University of Washington. What are those symptoms? Chest pain—especially during exercise—as well as nausea, vomiting, or profuse sweating during exercise, Epperly says. Also, if you have a family history of any heart problems before age 55, see your doctor, he adds. Have all your hair? You’re not out of the woods yet. Here are a few more strange indications of a health hazard. Your fingers reveal…your osteoarthritis: If your index fingers are shorter than their ring-bearing buddies, your risk for osteoarthritis quadruples, finds a study from the University of South Florida. Either a specific gene related to bone growth and cartilage, or prenatal testosterone exposure, could explain the link, the study says. But don’t rush to your doc’s office unless you’re experiencing knee pain while at rest, or knee swelling or stiffness during or after exercise, Epperly advises. Your skin reveals…your type 2 diabetes risk: Dark, thick skin around your neck, armpits, or groin? Those suffering from this condition—known as acanthosis nigricans—are twice as likely to have type 2 diabetes, finds a University of New Mexico study. The disease increases the amount of insulin in the bloodstream, which activates growth factors that spur skin cell accumulation in the body’s folds, the study authors write. Epperly says to watch for these additional symptoms: excessive thirst, excessive urination, and eating large amounts without gaining weight. If you notice any of those along with the skin condition, see your doctor, he advises. Your eyebrows reveal…your risk for an underactive thyroid: Brows looking a little meager? If they’re thinning on the outer edges, that’s a serious indicator of an under-performing thyroid, according to the National Institutes of Health. Thyroid hormones are partly responsible for, among many other bodily functions, the regulation of hair growth. And so a drop off in thyroid function often appears first in the eyebrows, where hair is thin to begin with, explains a study from the New York University Medical Center. Along with wispy eyebrows, Epperly says feeling fatigued or cold are indications that you need to ask your doctor to check for a thyroid condition. Your ears reveal…your heart disease risk: A diagonal crease or wrinkle on your earlobe could be a sign or heart trouble, according to research published in the journal Angiology. Your earlobe is the terminal point for many blood vessels, explains Arthur Friedlander, DMD, a professor of oral and facial surgery at UCLA. So blood circulation blockages threatening your heart may show up as wrinkles in your lobes, he explains. If you spot a wrinkle along with the heart disease symptoms mentioned above, see your doctor, Epperly advises. MORE: 6 Health Problems To Never Ignore
