Short anagen hair syndrome L73.8

The "short anagen syndrome" was first published in 1991. Since then, only a few cases have become known. The cause of this benign hair growth disorder is unknown. Most published cases are single cases. A familial clustering has not been reported so far.

With the "short anagen syndrome" the duration of the anagen growth phase of the hair is reduced to 1-2 years, compared to a normal anagen growth cycle of 4-7 years. The hair growth disorder is noticed in early childhood and becomes noticeable when parents report that their child does not need a haircut and that the growth of hair does not come out over a certain length of hair.
Clinically there are no hair shaft abnormalities. Most children show light fine hair. However, dark-haired children have also been described. The hair shows a normal density, but is abnormally short without ever being cut. The hair shaft is normal, not fragile. The hair plucking test is normal. The hair is not "easily epilated" as is the case with loose anangelic hair syndrome .

In the trichogram one finds predominantly telogenic hair. This results in a clear difference to the "loose anagen syndrome" where almost exclusively anagen hairs can be extracted.

Further physical examinations are normal. No associations with tooth or nail dystrophies are detectable. There are no associations to a "Noonan-like syndrome" (see below: Loose anagen hair syndrome). Children with a "short anagen syndrome" have normal mental and physical development.

5% minoxidil solution 2x daily seems to be able to prolong the anagen phase. Its efficiency has so far only been proven in isolated cases.

Many cases of "short anagen syndrome" persisted unchanged into adulthood. Thus, the disease contrasts in its prognosis with the "loose anagen hair syndrome", whose symptoms improve with increasing age. However, cases have also been described in which hair growth normalises postpubertal (Wolf 2017).

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4. Cheng YP et al (2016) Minoxidil improved hair density in an Asian girl with short anagen syndrome: a case report and review of literature. Int J Dermatol doi: 10.1111/ijd.12150.

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