Babies developing ‘wolf syndrome’ after parents take popular hair loss drug: report

Spanish babies are developing “wolf syndrome” because of their parents taking a popular over-the-counter hair loss drug – with nearly a dozen cases since last year, according to a new report.

The Navarra Pharmacovigilance Center has detected 11 cases of hypertrichosis – commonly known as “wolf syndrome” – in babies across Spain and found that 5% topical minoxidil was used by each of their caregivers, according to a report by El Economista .

Babies who develop hypertrichosis grow dense hair on their backs, legs and face and in extreme cases can make them look like a Wookie from Star Wars.

Investigators believe that topically applied minoxidil 5% used by the infants’ parents is then absorbed by the infants topically or orally, the report found.

Minoxidil is the active ingredient in several popular over-the-counter hair loss treatments, including Hims, Rogaine, Keeps, Equate, and generic products.

Before this rash of 11 cases of “wolf syndrome” last year, there had been fewer than 100 documented cases since the Middle Ages.

A 2023 case brought “wolf syndrome” to the attention of medical researchers and the public after a breastfed baby developed body hair for two months starting in April, according to El Economista.

During an interview with the family, health officials discovered their father was using topically applied minoxidil 5%, the report said.

When the father stopped treatment for androgenic alopecia, the child’s symptoms completely regressed, according to the report.

In each case in Spain, the babies’ unwanted hair receded when caregivers stopped applying topical minoxidil solutions.

Another case of a 2-year-old girl with the rare hirsute condition emerged in Malaysia last year – with the island nation’s monarchs calling her a “child from heaven”.

That child has a congenital strain of hypertrichosis, unlike the cases of environmental exposure to minoxidil that were reported in Spain.

Health experts warn that minoxidil is harmful to the health of babies and can produce hypertrichosis according to the European Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee.

A French girl was hospitalized for tachycardia and hypotension after swallowing a teaspoon of minoxidil, according to Reuters.

In 2017, at least 17 Spanish children developed “wolf syndrome” after minoxidil was accidentally mixed with acid reflux medication, according to reports.