Children diagnosed with werewolf syndrome as a result of parental medication baldness

Children in Europe have been diagnosed with hypertrichosis, commonly known as werewolf syndrome, after their parents used anti-bald drugs.

The Pharmacovigilance Center of Navarre (CFN) in Spain has discovered that 11 babies have recently been diagnosed with werewolf disease, linked to the use of minoxidil, a Spanish newspaper. Country report.

Minoxidil is an over-the-counter drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adults with age-related hair loss.

Werewolf syndrome, or hypertrichosis, is a condition in which excessive hair grows in unwanted areas.

CFN was informed of a case of werewolf syndrome in April 2023, where a baby boy grew slowly in his back, legs and thighs within two months.

Scientists discovered that her father, who had been out of work for a month looking after her, had been applying a 5-percent minoxidil cream to her scalp to treat baldness.

When the baby was no longer exposed to these drugs, her excess hair disappeared and she was fine, CFN said. However, very young children exposed to minoxidil may be at risk of heart and kidney damage.

Newsweek contacted the FDA for comment on the risk to American infants.

Minoxidil medication for hair loss is applied directly to the skin, as a liquid or foam, and works by relaxing and dilating blood vessels, increasing blood flow, which can stimulate hair growth. .

The drug was originally designed to treat high blood pressure, because it also lowers blood pressure.

After analyzing the case of April 2023, CFN searched the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System and the database of the EudraVigilance Agency of the European Medicines Agency and found 10 other recent cases of werewolf disease related to minoxidil in Europe.

In all of these cases, the symptoms went away after the parent stopped taking minoxidil, but the CFN news release confirmed that it was still a serious condition.

That’s because vulnerable babies have been exposed to drugs that weren’t intended for them, and have been tested for medical problems that can cause excessive hair growth, leading to a lot of stress on their families. .

In its bulletin, CFN suggested that minoxidil can be passed from parent to child in one of two ways: through the skin or through the mouth.

When the medicine is applied directly to the skin, the baby may be exposed to minoxidil by trying to suck or chew on the head or hands of its caregiver after applying the medicine.

Alternatively, exposure may occur through skin-to-skin contact. The outer layer of a baby’s skin is thinner than an adult’s, so it can absorb substances from the environment.

As a result of these incidents, minoxidil sold in Europe will now have to include warnings about the risk of hypertrichosis in babies, advising users to avoid contact with small children in areas where the medicine has been used. Minoxidil users in the US may also wish to be aware of these risks.

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