According to El Pais, 16 children in the Costa Del Sol area, Spain suffered from the extremely rare “werewolf” syndrome after taking medicine containing minoxidil, a drug that stimulates hair growth in people with alopecia. .

The medicine given to the children was omeprazole, which is used to treat acid reflux and stomach ulcers, but according to the National Ministry of Health, minoxidil appeared in this batch of medicine, leading to the situation of 16 children. Children grow unusual hair all over their bodies when they drink it. El Pais also said that when the children stopped using the drug, their hair stopped growing longer.

Illustration of a child with “werewolf” syndrome. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

In the photo is Lalit Patidar, a 13-year-old boy with “werewolf” syndrome from India. Photo: Barcroft Media

Some parents told Global News 10 that after discovering “hair growth in their children, especially on the face,” they went to see a doctor. Therefore, local authorities quickly noted the phenomenon of strange diseases occurring in many families.

Spain’s pharmaceutical and health agency ordered the recall of the first batch of potentially contaminated minoxidil from the market last month after receiving reports of 13 cases of “werewolf disease”, with three more cases reported. discovered earlier this month. Authorities said drugs contaminated with minoxidil may have affected 30 pharmacies and more than 50 batches of drugs.

According to reports, the pharmaceutical company Farma-Química Sur purchased the contaminated drug omeprazole from India and distributed it in the Spanish market. Currently, this company has had its license suspended and is not allowed to produce or import it. Or even distribute drugs.

Hypertrichosis, also known as Ambras syndrome or “werewolf disease”, is a genetic disease that causes beard, hair and body hair to grow abnormally. This syndrome is very rare with a probability of only 1/1,000,000 people. Although the patient does not suffer physical pain, he or she will have to endure social discrimination because of his or her unusual appearance.

Currently, medical experts have not been able to find a complete cure for this disease. The only way to help patients integrate more into the community is to regularly shave or wax their hair.