For Madhya Pradesh's Lalit Patidar, life has not been easy. From being constantly bullied to being seen in a different manner, this teenager has seen a lot since the age of six.
Why?
Because he has a rare health condition called "Werewolf syndrome". In this, a person's body has abnormal hair growth and resembles animal fur. Also known as hypertrichosis, werewolf syndrome has been seen in only 50 people since the Middle Ages.
"I come from a normal family, my father is a farmer, and I am currently a senior in high school studying in 12th grade and at the same time I help my father in his farming work," he told the Daily Star. "I have had this hair my whole life, my parents say the doctor shaved me at birth but I didn't really notice anything was different about me until I was around six or seven years old. That's when I first took notice that the hair was growing all over my body like no one else I knew," he added.
So, here are 10 points you need to know about this rare condition and teach others who are not aware of this.
This condition is known as hypertrichosis. In this case there is abnormal growth of hair all over the body. The hair can cover the face of the person as well. It can either happen all over the body or in small patches.Hypertrichosis can either be congenital or acquired. While in congenital hypertrichosis, the gene gets dominant and is able to express itself, in acquired hypertrichosis the symptoms are seen after birth and are usually due to steroids, malnutrition and sometimes also due to anorexia.While there is no painful symptom associated with this, the symptoms are visible to the eyes. Unusual hair growth all over the body can definitely draw other's attention.In some cases, there is a massive hair growth in unusual areas as well.Hypertrichosis can form three types of hair: lanugo which is the thin and soft hair, vellus the short and pigmented hair and terminal hair which are the darkest ones.Hirsutism is commonly mistaken as hypertrichosis. Hirsutism is a condition seen in women in which they develop coarse hair on chin and chest like males. Though hypertrichosis is not life threatening, it is always associated with stigma. The MP boy has also revealed of being bullied for his looks. He has told media outlets how people get scared of him due to the hair.While there is no treatment for this, short term remedies like shaving, trimming and waxing can be helpful.
