Clinical, Microscopic, and Ultrastructural Findings in a Case of Short Anagen Syndrome

In a 2017 case report, researchers described the clinical, microscopic, and ultrastructural findings of a 3-year-old girl diagnosed with Short Anagen Syndrome (SAS), a condition characterized by a short anagen phase leading to an inability to grow long hair. The patient had never had a haircut, and her hair was short, sparse, and fine, with a maximum length of 5 cm. A trichogram showed an anagen:telogen ratio of 20%:80%, indicating most hairs were in the telogen phase. Microscopic examination confirmed normal hair shafts without signs of breakage or abnormality, and X-ray microanalysis showed normal bioelement composition. Despite a year of follow-up and amino acid supplementation, no significant improvement was observed. The study highlighted that SAS is not associated with hair shaft fragility and that hair length often improves after puberty. The condition is differentiated from Loose Anagen Hair Syndrome (LAS) by the absence of ruffled cuticles and hockey stick-shaped bulbs, which are common in LAS. The patient's anagen phase duration was estimated to be approximately 5.5 months, much shorter than the normal 2-6 years, explaining the short hair length.