A difference between these two hair disorders is that in loose anagen syndrome there are dystrophic hairs which are absent in patients with short anagen syndrome.Patients with loose anagen syndrome may experience the thinning of their hair which is also a factor of alopecia areata. In order to distinguish between these two conditions, if dots, hairs with tapered roots or vellus hairs are visible in a microscopic examination of the skin this will lead to the diagnosis of alopecia areta rather than loose anagen syndrome.Hair loss can lead to other symptoms and signs such as weight loss, behavioural changes, short temper, abdominal pain and problems with learning. These signs are also observed in children with toxic ingestion which is one of the differential diagnosis.A pull test is also used in the diagnosis of telogen effluvium. The hairs that are removed in a telogen effluvium pull test are telogen staged hairs instead of being at the anagen stage as seen in loose anagen hair syndrome. Associated conditions
Loose anagen syndrome usually appears as an individual condition. Loose anagen syndrome can be present with other conditions related to genetics or developmental conditions. Examples of these conditions include; Coloboma, Noonan syndrome, Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, EEC (ectrodactyly- ectodermal dysplasia-clefting) syndrome, Neurofibromatosis, Trichorhinophalangeal syndrome, Trichotillomania, Nail-patella syndrome and Woolly hair. Loose anagen hair syndrome has also been associated with AIDS.Alopecia areata patients can also develop loose anagen syndrome. Treatment
Loose anagen syndrome usually does not need treatment as this hair condition tends to improve with age and is self-limited.
They are usually organised in an orderly manner and densely compacted.Genetics is one of the causing factors of loose anagen syndrome. It has been studied that this hair condition is autosomal dominantly inherited. Diagnosis
Patients with loose anagen syndrome do not report the same hair abnormalities. Loose anagen syndrome is usually diagnosed after taking into consideration the physical examination, clinical history and a microscopic examination of the hairs of the patient. Some patients visit a dermatologist for diagnosis and to distinguish between loose anagen hair syndrome and other conditions that it can be misdiagnosed for.A pull test is performed in order to diagnose a patient with loose anagen hair syndrome as one of the characteristics of this hair condition is hair that is easily removed from the scalp. A group of around 40-60 hairs, that are attached to the scalp, is pulled in a clement manner. The patient will be diagnosed with loose anagen syndrome if great amounts of hair is detached from the head. If at least 50% of the hairs removed is at the anagen hair stage, the outcome of the pull test is positive. The detachment of only 4-6 hairs is considered a normal outcome, as approximately 10% of the hairs on the scalp are at the telogen stage. The removed loose anagen hairs are not fragile and are of normal tensile strength.In an electron microscope image of a loose anagen hair, deformities such as grooves, curls and ridges are visible in the hair shaft, which is made from keratin.