Loose anagen hair syndrome in children of Upper Egypt.
BACKGROUND
Loose anagen hair (LAH) syndrome is a phenomenon in early childhood characterized by the presence of easily pluckable hair, where hair tufts can be pulled out easily and painlessly.


OBJECTIVE
All reports in the English literature described mainly white patients with blond hair. We present the first report of LAH syndrome in dark-skinned children of Upper Egypt.


METHODS
Twenty-eight children with LAH were diagnosed and examined from 1996 to 2007. The main complaints were patchy or diffuse alopecia and/or slow growth of hair. Clinical examination, hair pull test, trichogram, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed.


RESULTS
Children with LAH included 21 girls (75%) and seven boys (25%). Light microscopy of hair pull tests and trichograms disclosed a striking predominance of anagen hairs (90-100%) with misshapen hair bulbs and absent inner and outer root sheaths. SEM confirmed the misshapen anagen bulbs with ruffled appearance of cuticle and the longitudinal groove parallel to the long axis of the hair shaft. Most children improved spontaneously within few years, however, hair shed continued.


CONCLUSIONS
LAH syndrome occurs in dark-skinned children and could be under-diagnosed. The condition is of cosmetic concern and does not affect the general health.
Abdel-Raouf
Hamza
H
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt.
El-Din
Wael Hosam
WH
Awad
Sherif S
SS
Esmat
Ashraf
A
Al-Khiat
Mohammad
M
Abdel-Wahab
Hosam
H
Fakahani
Hasan
H
Al-Domyati
Moetaz
M
El-Din Anber
Tag
T
El-Tonsy
Mohammad Hany
MH
D000505:Alopecia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D006201:Hair Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008859:Microscopy, Polarization; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013577:Syndrome