The werewolf syndrome

Published November 7, 2013
Mandira Budhathoki, 7, poses for a photograph as she plays outside her home in Kharay.
Mandira Budhathoki, 7, poses for a photograph as she plays outside her home in Kharay.
Manjura Budhathoki (Right), 14, sits next to her younger sister Mandira, 7, as she eats lunch in the kitchen of their home.
Manjura Budhathoki (Right), 14, sits next to her younger sister Mandira, 7, as she eats lunch in the kitchen of their home.
Mandira Budhathoki, 7, plays with goats in the cattle shed at her house in Kharay, Dolkha District, some 190 km northeast of Kathmandu.
Mandira Budhathoki, 7, plays with goats in the cattle shed at her house in Kharay, Dolkha District, some 190 km northeast of Kathmandu.
Niraj Budhathoki, 12, looks towards the sky in Kharay, Dolkha District, some 190 km northeast of Kathmandu.
Niraj Budhathoki, 12, looks towards the sky in Kharay, Dolkha District, some 190 km northeast of Kathmandu.
Niraj Budhathoki (Left), 12, and his younger sister Mandira, 7, are seen studying.
Niraj Budhathoki (Left), 12, and his younger sister Mandira, 7, are seen studying.
Niraj Budhathoki, 12, reacts to pain while undergoing laser hair removal treatment at Dhulikhel Hospital in Kavre, on the outskirts of Kathmandu
Niraj Budhathoki, 12, reacts to pain while undergoing laser hair removal treatment at Dhulikhel Hospital in Kavre, on the outskirts of Kathmandu

Devi Budhathoki and three of her children, Manjura, Mandira, and Niraj all suffer from Congenital Hypertrichosis Lanuginosa, a very rare disease that causes excessive body hair growth, and which is sometimes referred to as “werewolf syndrome”. They are undergoing laser hair removal in order to lessen their symptoms.

Hypertrichosis is an abnormal amount of hair growth over the body. The two distinct types of hypertrichosis are generalized hypertrichosis, which occurs over the entire body, and localized hypertrichosis, which is restricted to a certain area. Hypertrichosis can be either present at birth or acquired later on in life.

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