Brittle Hair: Causes & Reasons

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Possible Causes for Brittle Hair

Pure Hair-Nail Ectodermal Dysplasia

hair Congenital onychodystrophy Hair-nail ectodermal ... ... [familydiagnosis.com]

Affected members had sparse, brittle hair and diffuse follicular papules on the scalp. The scalp hair shaft showed varying degrees of thickness. [gepedia.com]

[…] eyelashes ; Alopecia ; Autosomal dominant inheritance ; Autosomal recessive inheritance ; Brittle hair ; Congenital onychodystrophy ; Hair-nail ectodermal dysplasia ; Nail [mousephenotype.org]

Chronic Alcoholism

hair and nails from the dehydrating effects of alcohol, which can result in an increased appearance of aging and wrinkles Broken capillaries on your face and nose Yellow [verywellmind.com]

hair and fingernails A flushed appearance Evidence of aging more rapidly than usual such as a sudden increase in wrinkles and age spots Alcohol damages the body. [michaelshouse.com]

The frequent smell of alcohol on the breath, which can continue for hours after heavy drinking Weight loss due to the neglect of eating in favor of drinking Dry skin and brittle [verywellmind.com]

Hypothyroidism

The exam may also reveal: Thin brittle hair Coarse features of the face Pale or dry skin, which may be cool to the touch Reflexes that are abnormal Swelling of the arms and [pennmedicine.org]

When symptoms do appear, they may be quite varied and can include: tiredness being unable to tolderate the cold weight gain puffy and pale face brittle hair and nails, thinning [healthdirect.gov.au]

hair or fingernails Weakness Weight gain Late symptoms, if untreated: Decreased taste and smell Hoarseness Puffy face, hands, and feet Slow speech Thickening of the skin [pennmedicine.org]

Inadequate Diet

Brittle and Dry Hair Hair, which is made up mostly of protein, serves as a useful diagnostic marker for nutritional deficiencies. [webmd.com]

Brittle hair can signal a deficit of essential fatty acids, protein, iron, and other nutrients. Some hair loss is usual with age, of course. [webmd.com]

“When an older person’s hair looks brittle, dry, and sparse, it’s often a sign that their diet is inadequate,” says Kathleen Niedert, RD, director of clinical nutrition and [webmd.com]

Hyperthyroidism

Symptoms may include nervousness, irritability, extra sweating (perspiration), and fine, brittle hair. [hopkinsmedicine.org]

hair difficulty sleeping See your doctor if you have any of these symptoms. [healthdirect.gov.au]

Here are the most common ones: Nervousness Irritability Sweating more than normal Thinning of the skin Fine, brittle hair Weak muscles, especially in the upper arms and thighs [hopkinsmedicine.org]

Bjornstad Syndrome

Pili torti (denoting the twisting of hair around their axis) is a term used to illustrate the appearance of short and brittle hair (without any pigment) that occurs as a result [symptoma.com]

Pili torti is recognized in early childhood and is characterised by twisted hair shafts and brittle hair.[5]The hearing loss usually becomes evident very early in life, often [en.wikipedia.org]

Clinical examination showed dry, lustreless, fragile, and brittle hair of scalp and sparse hairs involving eyebrows [Figure 1]. [ijtrichology.com]

Marasmus

Other symptoms may include diarrhea; dehydration; behavioral changes; dry, loose skin; and dry, brittle hair. [britannica.com]

Dry skin and brittle hair are also symptoms of marasmus. Marasmus can also make children short-tempered and irritable. [en.wikipedia.org]

Dry skin and brittle hair are also symptoms of marasmus. [healthline.com]

Anorexia Nervosa

Physical effects of anorexia Some of the physical effects of anorexia nervosa may include: brittle hair and nails dry or yellowing skin feeling cold easily a soft downy hair [au.reachout.com]

[…] nails, thinning hair, hair loss, or dry brittle hair that breaks easily Edema Swelling of hands and feet Lanugo, or a soft downy hair covering the body Loss of menstruation [mccallumplace.com]

[…] signs of symptoms of anorexia nervosa include: Extreme and possibly sudden weight loss Fatigue Insomnia Dizziness or fainting A bluish discoloration to the fingers Dry skin, brittle [mccallumplace.com]

Biotin Deficiency

hair Hair loss or total alopecia Mild depression, which may progress to profound lassitude and, eventually, to somnolence Changes in mental status Generalized muscular pains [medicowesome.com]

Rashes including red, patchy ones near the mouth (erythematous periorofacial macular rash) Fine and brittle hair Hair loss or total baldness (alopecia) Anemia Birth defects [en.wikipedia.org]

Symptoms include dry skin, recurrent fungal infections of the skin, a rash, dry or brittle hair, or hair loss. Nails may also become brittle. [vitamins.lovetoknow.com]

Hidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia

[…] eczema periorbital wrinkling periorbital hyperpigmentation hypoplastic-absent sebaceous glands hypoplastic-absent eccrine sweat glands spoon-shaped nails hypotrichosis fine, brittle [humpath.com]

Other symptoms include brittle hair, loss of hair in the armpits or on the face, nails that appear white, and clubbing of the fingers. [diseaseinfosearch.org]

0002221 Absent pubic hair 0002555 Alopecia totalis 0007418 Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006 Blepharitis Inflammation of eyelids 0000498 Brittle hair 0002299 Conjunctivitis [rarediseases.info.nih.gov]

Hypoparathyroidism

hair The symptoms of hypoparathyroidism may resemble other problems or medical conditions. [chop.edu]

[…] feet Uncontrollable, painful spasms of the face, hands, arms, and feet Seizures Low blood pressure Emotional instability, anxiety, or depression Dental problems Coarse, brittle [chop.edu]

Argininosuccinic Aciduria

Progressive liver damage, skin lesions, and brittle hair may also be seen. [en.wikipedia.org]

hair), intellectual disability, and developmental delay. [visualdx.com]

Hypotonia Apnea If argininosuccinic aciduria is not treated right away it may cause: Delays in physical developmental Intellectual disability Ataxia Liver damage Skin lesions Brittle [stlouischildrens.org]

Mitochondrial Complex 3 Deficiency Nuclear Type 1

Abstract A 34-year-old man affected by exercise intolerance, mild proximal weakness and severe lactic acidosis is described. Muscle biopsy revealed mitochondrial abnormalities and an increase of cytochrome c oxidase histochemical reaction. Biochemical investigations on isolated muscle mitochondria as well as[…] [unboundmedicine.com]

Anorexia

Physical effects of anorexia Some of the physical effects of anorexia nervosa may include: brittle hair and nails dry or yellowing skin feeling cold easily a soft downy hair [au.reachout.com]

Physical symptoms that develop over time, including: low tolerance of cold weather, brittle hair and nails, dry or yellowing skin, anemia, constipation, swollen joints and [my.clevelandclinic.org]

Congenital Non-Goitrous Hypothyroidism Type 4

Other possible symptoms include: pain in your joints or muscles constipation brittle hair or nails voice hoarseness puffiness in your face As the disease progresses, these [healthline.com]

hair, which comes out in handfuls Loss of hair in the outer third of eyebrows Slow growing, ridged and brittle nails Myxoedema, resulting in puffy face, eyelids, hands and [dermnetnz.org]

[…] skin Eczema craquelé – a form of dermatitis in which there is crazy paving splitting of the skin surface A yellowish hue to the skin secondary to carotenaemia Sparse and brittle [dermnetnz.org]

Menkes Disease

Symptoms of the disorder include weakened bones, brittle hair and unusual skin and hair pigmentation. [medicalxpress.com]

[…] kinky hair, and a fatal outcome early in life — called also Menkes' syndrome Learn More about Menkes' disease Resources for Menkes' disease Comments on Menkes' disease What [merriam-webster.com]

The development of hair, bones and arteries also depend on copper and are impaired in Menkes disease. [medicalxpress.com]

Netherton Syndrome

Patients have dry and brittle hair that break easily. [immunodeficiencysearch.com]

Hair anomalies usually become apparent after infancy, with sparse and brittle hair caused by TI (bamboo hair viewed by light microscopy) and other hair shaft anomalies (pili [orpha.net]

The patient was presented to our clinic with sparse and brittle hair along with pruritic, erythematous and scaling cutaneous lesions. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Thyroid Gland Disorder

Initially: Fatigue, constipation, cold intolerance, slowing of mental and physical performance Late: weight gain, forgetfulness, dry and brittle hair, slow reflexes, deep [quizlet.com]

Most patients complain of slow metabolism, slow heartbeat, weight gain, puffy skin, brittle hair, constipation and fatigue.[3] [5] [6] Once hypothyroidism has been diagnosed [merckgroup.com]

hair and nails loss of libido (sex drive) pain, numbness and a tingling sensation in the hand and fingers (carpal tunnel syndrome) irregular periods or heavy periods Elderly [nhs.uk]

Rapp-Hodgkin Syndrome

The main features include dry, brittle hair with alopecia in adulthood, dental anomalies (hypodontia, microdontia with delayed eruption, fissured tongue, and retruded maxilla [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

His mother describes coarse hair and persistently brittle nails. [escholarship.org]

brittle nails. [escholarship.org]

Secondary Malnutrition

Other symptoms of severe secondary PEM include baggy, wrinkled skin; constipation ; dry, thin, or brittle hair; lethargy; pressure sores, and other skin lesions. [healthofchildren.com]

Other symptoms of severe secondary PEM include baggy, wrinkled skin; constipation; dry, thin, brittle hair; lethargy; pressure sores and other skin lesions. [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]

hair that pulls out easily Major organ failure, such as the heart, liver, kidneys Starvation and ultimate death What Can Be Done to Treat or Prevent Malnutrition? [oawhealth.com]

Autosomal Recessive Nail Dysplasia

(B) Patients V:2 (panels i, ii), V:3 (panels iii, iv) and V:7 (panels v, vi) show hypotrichosis with brittle hair of the scalp and dystrophic, slightly spoon-shaped nails [commons.wikimedia.org]

[…] ectodermal dysplasia (HNED; OMIM 602032) constitutes a rare subgroup of ectodermal dysplasias characterised by onychodystrophy, hypotrichosis and brittle hair. [jle.com]

Very little hair -- on both head and face -- and dry or brittle hair. [webmd.com]

Monilethrix

[…] trichodystrophy in which brittle hairs show a series of constrictions, usually without a medulla. [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]

The clinical features of the disease include HYPOTRICHOSIS, dry, and/or brittle hair, with varying degrees of ALOPECIA. [finto.fi]

[…] a beading effect, and are very brittle. monilethrix [mōnil′əthriks] Etymology: L. monile necklace; Gk, thrix, hair an autosomal-dominant condition in which the hairs exhibit [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]

Ringed Hair Disease

hair, Intellectual impairment, Decreased fertility, Short stature) (Amish brittle hair syndrome) (Trichothiodystrophy) 234050 Bjornstad syndrome Pili torti and nerve deafness [keratin.com]

Knotted hairKnotted hair Dry, brittle condition; including formation of nodular swelling along hair shaftDry, brittle condition; including formation of nodular swelling along [slideplayer.com]

The hair becomes finer and lighter, also increasingly brittle. Not curable, treat the hair gently. [london-centre-trichology.co.uk]

Tinea Barbae

The masses surround the hairs, which become brittle; hairs may be penetrated by fungus and thus split. [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]

Superficial findings are marked by scaling, slight itching, reddish or grayish patches, and dry, brittle hair that is easily extracted with the hair shaft. [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]

Generally it is characterized by one or more small, round, elevated patches, scaling of the scalp, and dry and brittle hair. tinea cor´poris a fungal infection of the glabrous [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]

Selenosis

Excessive selenium causes brittle hair, hair loss, deformed nails, brittle nails, sloughing off of nails, tooth discoloration, tooth decay and mottled or discolored skin. [livestrong.com]

Low levels of selenium can cause nervous system problems, brittle hair and deformed nails in humans while chronic, long-term exposure to selenium can cause liver, kidney and [appvoices.org]

Next, you might notice hair and nail loss and brittleness, as well as both gastrointestinal and neurological issues. [healthyeating.sfgate.com]

Woolly Hair Nevus

Loose anagen ( hair ) syndrome results in short, brittle hair. Although both sexes may be affected, it most often presents in young girls over the age of 2 years. [dermnetnz.org]

The hair is usually normal at birth but is replaced within weeks by affected hairs that are dry, dull, and brittle, breaking spontaneously and leaving a stubble-like appearance [plasticsurgerykey.com]

The clinical features of the disease include hypotrichosis, dry, and/or brittle hair, with varying degrees of alopecia. [icd10data.com]

Brittle Cornea Syndrome Type 1

[…] bone 骨脆弱 55802553 brittle bones syndrome 脆性骨症候群 55802554 brittle cornea syndrome 脆性角膜症候群 55802555 brittle hair 脆髮 55802556 brittle nail 脆甲 55802557 broad band light source [sheethub.com]

Brittle cornea, blue sclera, and red hair syndrome (the brittle cornea syndrome). [bjo.bmj.com]

Brittle cornea, blue sclera, and red hair syndrome (the brittle cornea syndrome). Br J Ophthalmol. 1980 Mar;64(3):175-7. Judisch GF, Waziri M, Krachmer JH. [disorders.eyes.arizona.edu]

Gorlin-Psaume Syndrome

[…] growth pattern on eyelashes and eye brows, and dry, curly and brittle hair pattern [Figure 2]. [jisppd.com]

hair • Inheritance: X-linked dominant, lethal prenatally in males Oral-facial-digital syndrome II (aka, Mohr syndrome) • Distinguishing feature: ocular hypertelorism; micrognathia [medlink.com]

[…] growth pattern on eyelashes and eye brows, and the hair pattern is dry, curly and brittle Click here to view Figure 3: Shows the presence of scars between third and fourth [jisppd.com]

Clastothrix

Hair shaft fracture; Brittle hair; Fragile hair; Hair breakage James WD, Berger TG, Elston DM. Diseases of the skin appendages. In: James WD, Berger TG, Elston DM, eds. [medlineplus.gov]

[…] results in low arginine levels and brittle hair. [emedicine.medscape.com]

Hair shaft fracture; Brittle hair; Fragile hair; Hair breakage Trichorrhexis nodosa is a common hair problem in which thickened or weak points (nodes) along the hair shaft [leehealth.org]

Acquired Kinky Hair Syndrome

[…] the hair brittle and break easily. [hairtx.com]

Loose anagen ( hair ) syndrome results in short, brittle hair. Although both sexes may be affected, it most often presents in young girls over the age of 2 years. [dermnetnz.org]

The brittle hair easily breaks once it is exposed above the skin and the fibers rarely grow very long as a result. [webmd.com]