Monilethrix: Case Report of a Rare Disease

Monilethrix is a rare genetic hair disorder characterized by a beaded appearance of the hair shaft, leading to hair fragility and patchy dystrophic alopecia. This case report described an 8-year-old Kashmiri boy with diffuse hair loss since infancy, confirmed to have monilethrix through light microscopy showing characteristic hair shaft nodes and internodes. The condition, often inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, can also occur sporadically. There is no specific treatment, but avoiding hair trauma and using topical minoxidil have shown some improvement. The boy had normal development and no other systemic abnormalities.