A Condition With No Well-Known Acronym
She described a child she treated who had hair that never grew and was easily broken. The patient’s skin was prone to bruising, and her fingernails would easily fall off after trauma; her dentist noted that she had no buds for adult teeth on x-rays. These different presentations are important because hair, teeth, and nails all come from the same ectoderm germ line in embryo development, Dr. Oboite said.
Exome sequencing revealed the girl had a very rare diagnosis called autosomal recessive hypotrichosis with recurrent skin vesicles. “So, it is really important to recognize that children who are presenting with hair issues can have a genetic, underlying condition,” she said. Examining the skin, nails, and teeth, in addition to the hair, can be clues to these very rare diagnoses.
Some of these hair loss conditions in children can be challenging to diagnose and manage, Dr. Oboite said. “So don’t be afraid to ask for help on complex or rare cases.” Pediatric dermatologists “are always happy to help you. Hair loss is daunting, and hair loss in children can be even more daunting,” but the rewards of accurate diagnosis and successful treatment can be great, she said.
Dr. Oboite reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.