What is the 'Werewolf' syndrome about which a drug in Spain was withdrawn from the market?

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The Mexican Jesús Aceves, known as the 'Werewolf' is one of the people with the condition of hypertrichosis, with hair all over his body and face. This photo is from September 24, 2015. (Credit: YURI CORTEZ / AFP / Getty Images)

(CNN Spanish) - Excessive hair growth, whether for the sex, race or age of an individual, is popularly known as the Werewolf syndrome.

It is actually hypertrichosis, a condition that can develop throughout the body or in small patches. Its causes are unknown, but "it is believed that congenital hypertrichosis is a genetic disorder that is inherited or occurs as a result of a spontaneous mutation," says DermNet NZ, a dermatology page.

According to DermNet NZ, "people with congenital hypertrichosis are often referred to as werewolves" or "ape men."

This condition is so rare that only 50 people in the world have it, according to the Smithsonian Institute, which tells the story of a Mexican who suffers from hypertrichosis.

In Spain a drug was related to hypertrichosis

The Spanish authorities ordered this month the withdrawal of a drug for children because it is related, with at least 14 cases of hypertrichosis, as reported by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) this month. The drug with the principle of omeprazole had another component called minoxidil that is used to treat alopecia, or hair loss, AEMPS reported.

The Spanish authorities were notified in the first instance of at least 13 cases of hypertrichosis (of excess hair) associated with the use of master formulas of lot 11072/10/42 whose active substance is omeprazole, the statement said.

Because of this situation, on July 11, the health authorities had already ordered the withdrawal of this lot from the market. Weeks later, on August 6, a new alert was issued for an additional case of hypertrichosis, linked, again, to a drug whose active substance is omeprazole, with lot number 11072/10/41, in which they were also traces of minoxidil found, the statement said.

The manufacturer is the Spanish Farma-Química Sur SL, which, since last July 11 "has suspended its registration to carry out the activities of manufacturing, importing and / or distribution of pharmaceutical active ingredients," according to the health authority.

The active substance of omeprazole used by Farma-Química Sur SL, is used in medications for gastroesophageal reflux among other indications, says AEMPS.

Farma-Química Sur SL has not yet spoken.

AEMPS warned that once patients discontinue treatment with medications containing minoxidil, spontaneous reversal of hypertrichosis can be expected.

Also lots of medicines for veterinary use were detected, according to the agency, who warned that so far no adverse cases in animals have been identified by the use of this lot.

Other cases

Larry Gómez is a 41-year-old Mexican, one of the few people with this werewolf syndrome. Since his birth he has grown hair all over his body, including his face. But he is not the only one in his family: his brothers and cousins ​​were also born with hypertrichosis, with hairs from head to toe, according to the Smithsonian Institute.

“When I had to go to school I had a cousin older than me who had the same condition. Then he went to school first ... automatically (arose) teasing and personal problems fell first to him, "said Gomez, who is also an actor in a circus, where at first he only had an exhibition job.

“In a way he cleared my way because there were new children coming in,” he says about his time at the school.

Gomez, who has his entire body covered with hair, even his face, says that although he looks different, he doesn't feel different.

The 1500 case that inspired Beauty and the Beast

The Smithsonian Institute reports the case of Petrus Gonsalvus, a 16th-century man who suffered from "Ambras Syndrome," which transformed him into an "iconic fairytale character" because of his hypertrichosis condition. Gonsalvus would have inspired the story of Beauty and the Beast, written by Frenchwoman Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, from 1757, according to the Smithsonian.

Syndrome