A popular hair loss drug may be causing babies to suffer from “wolf syndrome”, which leaves them covered in hair, Spanish health officials have warned.
Since 2023, almost a dozen cases have been reported in Europe.
Authorities believe the newborns developed the condition after their parents used the over-the-counter remedy minoxidil, which is commonly applied to the scalp to stimulate hair growth.
“Werewolf syndrome” causes abnormal amounts of fine hairs measuring up to 5 cm long to grow on a person’s face, arms and other parts of the body.
Known medically as hypertrichosis, there is no cure, meaning people must manage symptoms by shaving, waxing, or cutting their hair.
According to the Pharmacovigilance Center of Navarra, a province in northern Spain, concerns about this strange phenomenon first arose in April 2023, after a baby grew hair on his back, legs and thighs for two months.
Health experts discovered that his father, who had been off work for a month caring for him, had been using five percent minoxidil lotion on his scalp to treat baldness.
However, when the baby was no longer exposed to this medication, his symptoms regressed.
‘Werewolf syndrome’ causes abnormal amounts of fine hairs up to 5cm long to grow on a person’s face, arms and other parts of the body. stock image
Minoxidil, marketed under the brand name Regaine in the United Kingdom, comes in foam or liquid form at a concentration of two or five percent.
Minoxidil, marketed under the brand name Regaine in the United Kingdom, comes in foam or liquid form at a concentration of two or five percent.
It is available on Amazon and in most pharmacies without a prescription.
The medication works by helping blood flow to the hair follicles, the part of the skin where hair grows, by collecting old cells.
As a result of the case, the Navarra Pharmacovigilance Center evaluated the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System and the EudraVigilance databases of the European Medicines Agency.
According to the Spanish newspaper The Economistdiscovered 10 more recent cases of “werewolf syndrome” in babies linked to minoxidil in Europe.
In all cases, symptoms reduced after the parents stopped taking minoxidil.
However, the health body warned that very young babies exposed to the drug may be at risk of heart and kidney damage.
Previous research has also shown that even a teaspoon placed on an adult’s scalp twice a day can cause tachycardia and salt and water retention problems.
In its report, the Navarra Pharmacovigilance Center said it is likely that minoxidil was transferred from parents to their babies through the skin or mouth.
Because the medication is applied directly to the skin, a baby could be exposed by trying to suck or chew on a parent’s head or hands after the medication has been applied.
In light of these incidents, minoxidil sold in Europe will now have to include warnings on its packaging about the risk of hypertrichosis in babies, advising users to avoid contact with young children in areas where the product has been applied. medicine.
In 2019, at least 17 children in Spain, some of them babies, developed ‘werewolf syndrome’ after a hair loss treatment was mistakenly placed in reflux medication bottles.
The children began growing hair all over their bodies after they were given what was thought to be omeprazole, a medication that helps with acid reflux.
But after an investigation, authorities discovered that the treatment actually contained minoxidil.
At the time, the Minister of Health, María Luisa Carcedo, said that they found that the defective batches came from a laboratory that had ‘put this medication (minoxidil) in a container that was marked as omeprazole’ and distributed it to pharmacies as such’ .
It comes as minoxidil took the internet by storm earlier this year after social media users discovered it could act “like eyebrow fertilizer”.
When used two to three times a week, the drug “significantly” improves eyebrow hair growth, advocates say.
Other doctors, however, warned that the treatment is not approved for this use and can even cause side effects, including hair loss, ironically, if used incorrectly.
The NHS also advises that minoxidil is only designed to treat hair loss in men and women that is hereditary.
It is not intended to treat hair loss caused by other factors, such as stress, illness, or even iron deficiency.