Hypertrichosis Or Werewolf Syndrome

Hypertrichosis is a rare disease that involves excessive hair growth anywhere on the body. It’s also called werewolf syndrome, because people who suffer from it have some similarities to this character.

This pathology can be:

• Generalized: hair grows all over the body, except on the hands and feet.
• Localized : in a specific area, whether on the back, forehead or another region.

When we talk about hypertrichosis as a genetic disease, it is usually due to an alteration on the X chromosome.  This is extremely unusual, as only about 50 cases have been documented. Also, there is no cure.

However,  there are other factors that can trigger this disease, such as certain medications. In 2019, there was an outbreak of hypertrichosis in Spain that caused 17 cases in babies. In this article, we explain everything you need to know about this disease.

What is hypertrichosis?

As we already mentioned, hypertrichosis is the massive growth of hair, both in quantity and in thickness,

It is a benign pathology that does not put the patient’s life at risk. However, it is a very serious aesthetic problem that excessively damages the person’s self-esteem.

When the disease is caused by a genetic alteration, it is common for other family members to also have it. In this case, the hair does not disappear and there is no cure. The only treatment is waxing, although not definitive unless laser techniques are used.

On the other hand,  the cause of hypertrichosis may be a drug that causes it as a secondary reaction. This is unusual and, in theory, when the medicine is removed, the hairs gradually disappear.

What happened to hypertrichosis recently?

Hypertrichosis has recently returned to the spotlight as there have been around 20 cases in babies with this pathology in Spain.  The babies were given omeprazole, which is often used for certain stomach problems, such as gastroesophageal reflux.

However, the batch was found to be defective  and the drug the babies ingested  contained minoxidil. This is a medicine used to treat alopecia or hair loss. What it does is dilate blood vessels, increasing the blood supply. It is one of the few drugs with a proven effect to promote hair growth.

The mother of one of the babies affected by hypertrichosis explained her version of events. After spending some time ingesting large amounts of this medicine, your baby unknowingly began to experience strange symptoms.

First, hypertrichosis was accompanied by sores in the mouth that caused the baby discomfort. Also, the mother noticed that the smell of urine had changed. The child also had eye problems during this period.

What is the treatment for these cases of hypertrichosis?

As we’ve already mentioned, hypertrichosis that appears as a side effect of a drug usually passes away. For this, it is necessary to detect which drug is causing the disease and eliminate it. In the case of these babies, as this occurred by mistake, the diagnosis was more complicated, since hypertrichosis is not listed as a side effect of omeprazole.

Once the drug is removed, the hairs take between 3 and 6 months to disappear. Therefore, it is also important to make the family or the person who suffers aware of this situation, as it is very uncomfortable and harmful to self-esteem.

Conclusion

Hypertrichosis is a rare disease, which can be generalized or localized, depending on which parts of the body it affects. It is a pathology that can arise from a genetic alteration or as a side effect of medications, among other causes.

It is important to make people aware of how difficult it is to deal with this disease due to the great aesthetic impact it has. Therefore, in addition to consulting a doctor, it is recommended to  seek psychological assistance for the affected person.