“Werewolf Boy” Seeks for Cure to Rare Condition

Note: This story is originally from 15 May 2008, so in 2024 Pruthviraj Patil is now about 28 years old. How many myths actually come from little known facts? Perhaps more than we think. A rare condition, hypertrichosis, suggests that werewolf stories may also come from a rare and very real genetic condition. At the time this was written, Pruthviraj Patil was one of only 50 people in the world known to have it.

Werewolves made an.. early appearance in Greek mythology with the Legend of Lycaon. According to the legend, Lycaon, the son of Pelasgus, angered the god Zeus … As punishment, the enraged Zeus turned Lycaon and his sons into wolves. (History Channel)

Without the tools and foundation for understanding genetics, it is understandable that stories would be invented by ancient people to make sense of real and unusual observations. Even back then, some people, very rarely, would probably appear wolf-like due to large amounts of body hair. This story comes from India.

… Pruthviraj Patil has suffered from hypertrichosis, a rare genetic condition also known as Werewolf Syndrome, since birth. His face and body are covered with hair and he is baffling medical experts. On a planet with 6.7 billion people, he may be one of only 50 with this condition. Pruthviraj’s family has tried homeopathy, traditional Indian Ayurvedic remedies even  laser surgery without success. He is now appealing to doctors to help him find a permanent cure since even after laser treatment the hair grows back. Vinay Saoji, a plastic surgeon who examined Pruthviraj, said that the boy was suffering from one of the rarest genetic conditions. A cure will allow him to live a more normal life. Pruthviraj rarely leaves his home village in India because of the cruelty of strangers.

(Telegraph)

It’s a cool look in a way, some wouldn’t mind, perhaps. People can be cruel, however, to anything or anyone they perceive as different from their own kind or clan. Most people don’t want to be very different from everyone else, because we are social creatures and we want to “fit in.”

“When I look in the mirror, I see that I have hair on my face and no one else does. Why is it only me?” he asked.

 

“My greatest desire is that the hair should go.”

 

Aside from the syndrome, he is healthy. (News.au)

I hope they found a way to help him. I haven’t heard any updates and couldn’t find anything over ten years later. Anyone? Here is Pruthviraj from 2008:

A Cure in 2008?

This was posted Nov 21 2008 5:18 PM by a

A cure for an Indian boy with ‘werewolf syndrome’, a condition which leaves the face and body of the sufferer covered in hair, has been found by Colombia University researchers in New York. The researchers attribute their groundbreaking work to testosterone injections, which they used on 11-year-old Pruthviraj Patil, one of just 50 people in the world with the rare genetic condition, called hypertrichosis. … Source-ANI SRM [11]

Did testosterone injections done by Colombia University researchers in New York reverse hypertrichosis (werewolf syndrome)?

Testosterone Injections

It appears that the researchers at Columbia University in New York were investigating the use of testosterone injections as a potential treatment for hypertrichosis, also known as “werewolf syndrome”:

• One search result[12] reports that the Columbia University scientists’ research found that an injection of testosterone may be able to cure hypertrichosis, which causes excessive hair growth on the face and body.
• A second result[13] from the Columbia University Dermatology department confirms that they are exploring the use of testosterone as a potential treatment option for hypertrichosis, along with other methods like laser hair removal.
• A third search result[15] also summarizes the Columbia University researchers’ findings, stating that their recent studies on cases like Pruthviraj Patil have led them to believe that testosterone injections could be an effective first step in treating hypertrichosis.

However, the results do not definitively state whether the testosterone injections actually reversed or cured the hypertrichosis in any patients. More clinical trials and evidence would be needed to confirm if testosterone injections can reliably treat and reverse hypertrichosis. [12][13][15]

Management of Condition

Based on the search results the following key points can be made about the management of hypertrichosis if testosterone injections are not effetive at reversing the condition:

• Hypertrichosis is a rare condition characterized by excessive hair growth on the body. It can be congenital (present from birth) or acquired (developing later in life) [1][2][3].
• There are different types of hypertrichosis based on the distribution of hair growth (generalized vs localized) and the type of hair (lanugo, vellus, terminal) [3][4].
• The underlying causes of hypertrichosis can vary, including genetic factors, medications, medical conditions, and skin disorders. Identifying and treating the underlying cause is important[1][3][4].
• While there is currently no generally accepted way to reverse the condition, various treatment options are available to manage the symptoms of hypertrichosis, such as[1][2][4][5]:
  • Temporary hair removal methods: shaving, waxing, plucking, bleaching, chemical depilatories
  • Longer-lasting hair removal: laser hair removal, electrolysis
  • Addressing underlying medical conditions or adjusting medications
• For congenital forms of hypertrichosis, management focuses on cosmetic hair removal techniques[1][4].
• For some, counseling can be important, as the condition might potentially cause distress and impact quality of life[1][3].

At this time there are various treatment options are available to manage the excessive hair growth. The treatment approach depends on the specific type and cause of hypertrichosis[1][2][3][4][5].

Potential Gene Therapy

Gene therapy could be used to treat hypertrichosis in the future:

• The “angora (go)” gene in mice has been shown to have a regulatory function in hair growth, with a mutation causing abnormally long hair growth[8].
• Keratinocyte growth factor (FGF7) has also been found to stimulate hair follicle progenitor cells[8].

Understanding the genetic basis and signaling pathways involved in regulating hair growth is an important step towards developing gene therapies for hypertrichosis[8].

There are a few ways gene therapy could be used to treat hypertrichosis in the future:

1. Delivering a functioning gene to produce a missing or non-functioning protein involved in hair growth regulation[7].
2. Using gene therapy to “turn off” or suppress the overactive genes that cause excessive hair growth[6][9].
3. Potentially using the body as a “biofactory” to produce therapeutic proteins to regulate hair growth, rather than relying on external drug treatments[6].

Gene therapy for hypertrichosis and other genetic diseases is still an emerging field with many unknowns, including how long the effects may last[7].

Overall, gene therapy may hold the most promise for treating hypertrichosis in the future, but more research is needed to fully understand the genetic mechanisms and develop effective gene-based cures[6][8].

We All Have Genetic Mutations

Everyone is born with a number of genetic mutations, with the average person having around 400 defects in their genes[18]. These mutations occur randomly during cell division and DNA replication, and the number of mutations a person inherits can vary significantly even between siblings[17]. Factors like parental age, genetics, environment, and exposure to mutagens can influence the number of mutations passed on to offspring[17]. Surprisingly, many of these genetic mutations do not actually cause any overt health problems, as the body has redundancy and backup mechanisms to compensate for them[18]. Only about 1 in 10 people have genetic mutations that are known to cause disease, but they often don’t actually develop the associated condition[18]. Most genetic mutations have very small effects, and the vast majority are neutral or even beneficial in terms of their impact on the organism[19][20]. While mutations are random in the sense that their effects don’t influence their probability of occurring, certain types of mutations do happen more frequently due to underlying biochemical processes[20].

Genetic mutations are extremely common in humans, but the majority do not have serious health consequences, as our bodies have evolved mechanisms to cope with this genetic variability[17][18][19][20].

Good luck to all with this and many other conditions visible or not. Celebrate your uniqueness.

Citations

^{[1] https://www.verywellhealth.com/hypertrichosis-4705533
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12444804/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534854/
[4] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320048
[5] https://dermnetnz.org/topics/hypertrichosis
[6] https://www.roche.com/stories/future-of-gene-therapy-in-partnering
[7] https://www.pfizer.com/science/innovation/gene-therapy/gene-therapy-promise
[8] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/478429
[9] https://www.healthline.com/health/hypertrichosis
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9051674/
[11] https://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-find-cure-for-indian-werewolf-boy-44315-1.htm
[12] https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/11/19/Testosterone-may-cure-werewolf-syndrome/39831227126314/
[13] https://www.columbiadoctors.org/specialties/dermatology/our-services/hair-scalp-disorders/hypertrichosis
[14] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534854/
[15] https://werewolf-news.com/2008/11/a-cure-for-congenital-hypertrichosis/
[16] https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/103/4/1233/4924418
[17] https://unews.utah.edu/we-are-all-mutants-more-or-less/
[18] https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/12/06/166648187/perfection-is-skin-deep-everyone-has-flawed-genes
[19] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37936448/
[20] https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/genetic-mutation-1127/
[21] https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/gene-mutations.html}