Quantitative assessment of scanning electron microscope defects in uncombable-hair syndrome.
Uncombable-hair syndrome is a rare disorder of scalp hair that starts early in childhood. It is characterized clinically as unruly hair and by scanning electron microscopy as longitudinally grooved hairs with a triangular cross section. Because of the controversy of inheritance and prior reports of similar changes in normal and other hair disorders, we performed a quantitative scanning electron microscopic assessment of four patients with uncombable-hair syndrome, first-degree relatives, and nonaffected controls. Our results indicate that longitudinal grooving of scalp hair is a common occurrence, and that for clinical changes to be apparent, approximately 50% of hairs must be affected.
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Department of Dermatology, Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
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D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning