Cure for 'Werewolf Boy?'

  • FAME PICTURES
  • FAME PICTURES
  • FAME PICTURES
  • FAME PICTURES
  • FAME PICTURES
  • Eleven-year-old Pruthviraj Patil, of Maharashtra, India, was born with the rare condition of hypertrichosis or "Werewolf” syndrome. Since the age of 10, he has undergone several different treatments,but nothing has worked. Now, scientists at Columbia University believe they may have come up with a cure.
  • Columbia scientists, including dermatologist Angela Christiano, have been working to develop a cure for Pruthviraj's disorder, which is estimated to afflict fewer than 50 people worldwide. Christiano is using injections of testosterone to stem the growth of hair.
  • The breakthrough actually comes from Christiano's research into baldness. As a dermatologist and geneticist, she's actually discovered a gene associated with hair loss.
  • Pruthviraj has just started the treatment and while it's too early to tell its long-term effects, doctors are hopeful it will eventually cure his very rare condition.
  • Although Pruthviraj is plagued by this rare condition, he is otherwise a healthy 11-year-old boy. Experts believe the syndrome is genetic and not caused by a hormonal imbalance.

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