A Case of Loose Anagen Syndrome in an African American Girl

Abstract

We present the case of 7-year-old African American girl with loose anagen syndrome. Although this is a common cause of hair loss in Caucasian children, and there have been reports of cases occurring in dark-skinned children of North African and Middle Eastern descent, to our knowledge there have been no cases reported in black children of sub-Saharan African ancestry. We present this case to broaden the differential diagnosis of hair loss in African Americans.

Loose Anagen Syndrome: A Retrospective Chart Review of 37 Cases

“…Of the 37 patients investigated, 11 had a family history of similar hair abnormalities. This further supports an autosomal inheritance pattern that has previously been suggested . Four patients also reported a family history of psoriasis, and 12 reported a family history of atopic disease.…”

“…Since many reports on LAS are case studies, the purpose of the current study was to classify a larger group of patients with LAS and more concretely define features, patterns, possible complications related to this disorder, clinical improvements, and potential treatment options .…”

“…LAS type A is sparse hair that does not grow long, LAS type B is diffuse or patchy hair that is unruly, and LAS type C predominantly affects adults and is normal appearing with excessive shedding of loose anagen hairs . The classic patient is described as a Caucasian girl older than 2 years with light hair that does not grow beyond the nape of the neck , although there are a few case reports of boys, adults, and patients with darker skin types . Diagnosis of LAS is made by performing a hair pull test and subsequent light microscopy analysis of 3 to 10 hairs showing a preponderance of anagen hairs with abnormally keratinized inner root sheaths, pigmented and misshapen hair bulbs, no external root sheaths, and proximal ruffling of the cuticle of the hair shaft (Fig.…”

“…Diagnosis of LAS is made by performing a hair pull test and subsequent light microscopy analysis of 3 to 10 hairs showing a preponderance of anagen hairs with abnormally keratinized inner root sheaths, pigmented and misshapen hair bulbs, no external root sheaths, and proximal ruffling of the cuticle of the hair shaft (Fig. ) .…”

“…33 No. 5 507-510, 2016 related to this disorder, clinical improvements, and potential treatment options (2,3,5,7,8,10).…”