Treatment for Boy with Werewolf Syndrome

Pruthviraj Patil, an eleven-year-old boy, has suffered from hypertrichosis since he was born. Hypertrichosis is a rare genetic condition known as Werewolf Syndrome and it's believed only 50 people in the entire world suffer from it.

The thick matted hair that covers Pruthviraj's face has caused him to be stared at and bullied throughout his childhood, and he rarely leaves his home village in India because of the cruelty of strangers. Pruthviraj's family has tried every imaginable treatment, from homeopathy to laser surgery to a trip to the local barber, but the hair always grows back.

Scientists at the Columbia University in New York believe they have found a cure for hypertrichosis: by injecting patients with testosterone, scientists say they can stunt hair growth in patients with Werewolf Syndrome. The same hormonal treatment is used to prevent baldness.

Pruthviraj has started the treatment, but scientists say it is too early to predict the long-term effects.

Discovery of hypertrichosis was made in 1648 when an entire family including a man, two daughters, his son and his grandchild were affected. In 1984 a family in Mexico reported 24 members with hypertrichosis, with five generations affected.