“Werewolf Syndrome”: What's happening in Spain where babies have hair on their faces and bodies ?

11 cas ont été recensés en Europe. (Illustration) Envato Elements – @leungchopan

Le Centre de Pharmacovigilance de Navarre, en Espagne a signalé un "effet indésirable" associé à l’utilisation d’un médicament contenant du minoxidil, qui pourrait entraîner l’apparition du syndrome du loup-garou chez les nourrissons.

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An investigation conducted by the Pharmacovigilance Center of Navarra has established a link between excessive hair growth, called hypertrichosis, suffered by several babies in Europe and the use of a baldness medication containing minoxidil. The study reveals that the fathers of several babies with the condition had used the medication to combat hair loss, reports the Spanish media outlet El Pais.

Also known as “werewolf syndrome”, hypertrichosis is a disease characterized by the presence of significant hair in unusual places on the body such as the face or back.

11 cases reported in Europe

A total of 11 cases of babies with the disease exposed to the drug have been reported in Europe. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) considers that this causal link is a “reasonable possibility”, which led it to modify the package insert for products containing minoxidil.

Questioned by Le Parisien, the head of the pharmacovigilance control section of Navarre, Gabriela Elizondo, however specified that transmission from father to child had not been determined. The hypotheses currently point to a spread “by skin-to-skin contact” or “orally”.