Hairy “werewolf syndrome” in babies and kids caused by drug mix-up

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At least 17 babies and children in Spain began growing hair all over their faces and bodies after they were accidentally given the hair-loss drug, minoxidil, which a Spanish pharmaceutical company had mislabeled as a medication to treat acid reflux.

The error lead the children to develop a form of the rare condition, hypertrichosis, aka "werewolf syndrome," Spanish authorities reported.

One mother told Spanish news outlet El Pais how the drug affected her baby boy, who was just six months old when he began growing excess hair: "My son's forehead, cheeks, arms and legs, hands became covered in hair " He had the eyebrows of an adult. It was very scary because we didn't know what was happening to him."

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