title: Hair anomalies as a sign of mitochondrial disease.
abstract: In 8 out of 25 children with a mitochondrial disorder, slow growing, sparse and fragile hair was observed as an early sign of their disease. Microscopic examination of the hair showed the presence of trichorrhexis nodosa and pili torti. Hair abnormalities can be added to the wide clinical spectrum of mitochondrial disorders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Microscopic hair examination is an easy, first level diagnostic tool that can lead to a suspected mitochondrial defect in the early stages of the disease, before symptoms of progressive multi-organ involvement develop.
authors.affiliation: I Divisione di Clinica Pediatrica, Universita' di Torino, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126, Torino, Italy. margherita.cirillosilengo@unito.it.
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silengo
authors.affiliation: I Divisione di Clinica Pediatrica, Universita' di Torino, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valenzise
authors.affiliation: I Divisione di Clinica Pediatrica, Universita' di Torino, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spada
authors.affiliation: I Divisione di Clinica Pediatrica, Universita' di Torino, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Ferrero
authors.affiliation: I Divisione di Clinica Pediatrica, Universita' di Torino, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferraris
authors.affiliation: Scuola di Specializzazione in Neuropsichiatria Infantile, Universita' di Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dassi
authors.affiliation: Neuropsichiatria Infantile,ASL 2, Ospedale Martini, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jarre
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D006197:Hair / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006801:Humans; D028361:Mitochondrial Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D010085:Oxidative Phosphorylation