Hypertrichosis Lanuginosa Acquisita: When Hair Unravels the Unseen

The document presents a case study of a 78-year-old male with Hypertrichosis Lanuginosa Acquisita (HLA), a rare paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by abnormal hair growth, often associated with malignancies. The patient exhibited symptoms such as elongated, soft hair on various body parts, glossitis, and eyelash trichomegaly, alongside a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma in the cecum/ileocecal valve region. Despite surgical intervention and chemotherapy, the patient experienced disease progression and died 6 months post-diagnosis. HLA is more common in women and often linked to colorectal carcinoma, while in men, it is frequently associated with lung cancer. The presence of HLA typically indicates metastatic disease and a poor prognosis, with a mean survival of less than 3 years. The case underscores the importance of considering malignancy in patients with unexplained excessive hair growth and highlights the potential involvement of epidermal growth factor signalling in HLA pathophysiology.