CHICAGO PEDIATRIC SOCIETY

Abstract

The patient, a girl, was first seen at the clinic four years before presentation and gave the history that since birth there had been a total absence of hair on the scalp, with the exception of a few black scalp hairs at birth. At the age of 6 weeks she was completely bald. There was no history of alopecia in the family for two generations. She was first seen in the clinic for patients with syphilis a year and a half before presentation, and was discharged as normal clinically and seriologically. She was seen at the clinic from July, 1927, to July, 1928, and was given thyroid medication with no improvement. She ceased attendance at that time, to return a few days before presentation. Dr. E. A. Oliver presented her to the Chicago Dermatological Society as having a case of congenital alopecia. She had a few hairs on the eyebrows and a few eyelashes, which could easily be counted. This disorder has been described chiefly by dermatologists, and there is little mention of it in pediatric literature. It is attributed to a defect of the ectoderm, with either absent or poorly developed hair follicles. The prognosis depends on the condition of the hair follicles. It is rather difficult to differentiate the condition from total alopecia arcata, but that disorder usually appears after the fifth year. The patient has been given some ultraviolet irradiation since her return to the clinic.