'Werewolf syndrome' emerges in infants after parents pop in hair-loss drug in Spain

A strange "werewolf syndrome" has been emerging in infants in Spain because their parents have consumed a popular hair-loss drug, as per a new report. Since last year, nearly one dozen such cases have emerged. 

As per a report published in El Economista, 11 cases of hypertrichosis, which is popularly known as "werewolf syndrome", have been detected in the babies at the Navarra Pharmacovigilance Centre. 

In the cases, the doctors found that each of their caregivers had used five per cent of topical minoxidil.

Symptoms of 'werewolf syndrome'

In the infants suffering from "werewolf syndrome", tufty hair growth was seen on their back, face and legs and in some extreme cases they even resembled a “Wookie” from “Star Wars.”

According to the investigators, the five per cent minoxidil which was used by the parents of the infant was either orally or topically absorbed by the babies.

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Minoxidil is among the active ingredients found in various famous over-the-counter hair-loss treatments which include Rogaine, Hims, Keeps, Equate and other generic products.

Since the Middle Ages, less than 100 such “werewolf syndrome” cases were documented in the medical records.

Cases of 'werewolf syndrome'

In 2023, the attention of medical researchers was drawn to a case of "werewolf syndrome" after hair was developed on the entire body of a breastfeeding baby in just two months, according to a report by El Economista.

The health officials interviewed the family and discovered that the baby's father had reportedly used topically applied five per cent minoxidil. 

It was further reported that when the treatment for androgenic alopecia was stopped by the father, the symptoms of the child completely regressed. 

In all cases which were reported in Spain, the unwanted hair of the babies receded when the topical application of minoxidil solutions was stopped by the caregivers.

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In another case, a two-year-old girl was found battling the rare hirsute condition in Malaysia last year, as the monarchs dubbed her the “child from heaven.”

The girl had a congenital strain of hypertrichosis, which was not similar to the cases where environmental exposure to minoxidil led to such problems.

Health experts have warned minoxidil can be detrimental to the health of infants and can lead to the production of hypertrichosis, as per the European Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee.

(With inputs from agencies)