Loose anagen syndrome hairs at the occipital scalp can be knotted easily when theres movement of those hairs against the pillow at night.There are 3 different types of loose anagen hair syndrome. Loose anagen syndrome type A is when the hair of the patient appears to be fine and thinly distributed. Patients with type A loose anagen syndrome experience a decrease in the density of their hairs. Patients diagnosed with type B loose anagen hair syndrome tend to have hair that is difficult to manage and has a disordered, unruly appearance. Type C loose anagen syndrome is when the hair sheds but the appearance of their hair appears to be normal. Loose anagen syndrome type A and B are more prevalent in children. Loose anagen hair syndrome type C is most frequently seen in adults. There is not specific treatment for each type of loose anagen syndrome. It is also unknown as to how each type is developed. Differential diagnosis
Loose Anagen Syndrome can commonly be misdiagnosed for other skin and hair disorders such as short anagen syndrome, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, trichotillomania and toxic ingestion. Similar symptoms and signs appear in these conditions, however there are different aspects that distinguish each one from another. Short anagen syndrome and loose anagen syndrome are similar as both conditions lead to the inability to grow long hair and patients rarely need to get their hair cut.
Minoxidil can be used as it enriches the cells of the hair by heightening the blood supply of local cutaneous. From this, there is intensified DNA synthesis occurring in both follicular keratinocytes and non-follicular, as well as an increase in cell multiplication. The degree of hair shedding is reduced with the use of minoxidil. 7 in 11 loose anagen hair syndrome patients find visible improvement after using minoxidil lotion. Treatment involving the maintenance of nutrients within the patient and biotin have not made any noted impacts to the improvement of loose anagen hair syndrome. Management
For children, changes to their lifestyle and daily routine are altered and improved to reduce trauma to hair. This includes modifications in hair maintenance such as different washing, styling and combing techniques are adapted, as an attempt to minimise trauma to loose anagen syndrome hairs. Young girls are also recommended to avoid activities such as extreme braiding. Caring for hair gently will minimise the amount of loosely anchored hairs being removed from scalp. History
The first published report on loose anagen syndrome was made in 1986 by Nodl and then by Zaun. Loose anagen syndrome was originally referred to as ‘syndrome of loosely attached hair in childhood’. The name ‘loose anagen syndrome’ was first adapted in 1989 by Price, Gummer, Hamm and Traupe in American literature. Early literature on loose anagen syndrome all reported identical findings. The genetic aspects and potential mechanisms for the cause of loose anagen syndrome was first discovered in 1992 by Baden, Kvedar and Magro.