Dry, Brittle Hair: Causes & Reasons

Possible Causes for Dry, Brittle Hair

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

[…] and brittle hair showing trich-orrhexis nodosa (weak points or nodes in the hair shaft). [biossusa.com]

The disease is characterized by mental and physical retardation, liver enlargement, skin lesions, dry and brittle hair showing trichorrhexis nodosa microscopically and fluorescing [uniprot.org]

Bjornstad Syndrome

Abnormalities of the hair (eg, coarse, dry, lusterless, brittle hair) are already present in the first year of life and mainly of cosmetic concern. [accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com]

Björnstad Syndrome Björnstad syndrome is characterized by hearing loss (sensorineural deafness) and dry, brittle hair (pili torti). [myriad.com]

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

Hypoparathyroidism

Symptoms of hypoparathyroidism may include tingling in the lips, fingers, and toes; dry hair, brittle nails, and dry, coarse skin; muscle cramps and pain in the face, hands [medicinenet.com]

Symptoms of hypoparathyroidism may include: Tingling in the lips, fingers, and toes Dry hair, brittle nails, and dry, coarse skin Muscle cramps and pain in the face, hands [rxlist.com]

Tingling in the lips, hands, fingers and toes Dental malformations (eg, misshapen teeth, loss of enamel) Dry hair, dry skin, brittle nails, thinning hair Cataracts Headaches [endocrineweb.com]

Kwashiorkor

brittle hair that falls out easily and may lose its colour failure to grow in height tiredness or irritability ridged or cracked nails Kwashiorkor can be fatal if it's left [nhs.uk]

[…] an enlarged tummy ("pot belly") regular infections, or more serious or long-lasting infections than usual red, inflamed patches of skin that darken and peel or split open dry [nhs.uk]

Dry, brittle hair, hair loss and loss of pigment in hair. Dermatitis — dry, peeling skin, scaly patches or red patches. Enlarged liver, a symptom of fatty liver disease. [my.clevelandclinic.org]

Congenital Hypothyroidism

The child may also have: Poor feeding, choking episodes Constipation Dry, brittle hair Hoarse cry Jaundice (skin and whites of the eyes look yellow) Lack of muscle tone [mountsinai.org]

brittle hair; low hairline Poor muscle tone Cool and pale skin Poor weight gain due to poor appetite Poor growth Difficult breathing Low temperature Swollen hands, feet and [health.cvs.com]

[…] feeding Choking episodes Constipation or reduced stooling Yellow skin color— jaundice Short stature Swollen abdomen Decreased activity Sleeps a lot Rarely cries or hoarse cry Dry [health.cvs.com]

Clastothrix

hair to become dry, brittle and lusterless. [hairfinder.com]

is a dry, brittle condition with the formation of nodular swellings along the hair shaft. [btb.termiumplus.gc.ca]

The thought is that brief, focal heating of damp hair can produce bubbles within the hair shaft resulting in fibers that are dry and brittle. [hairtx.com]

Juvenile Myxedema

Physical examination showed short stature (height: -2.2 SDS; target height: 0.1 SDS) with overweight (body mass index: +1.7 SDS), bradycardia, sparse-brittle hair, dry and [hormones.gr]

There is hair loss and the hair is brittle and dry. The skin is also scaly and dry. The nails are thick and brittle. [flexikon.doccheck.com]

The hair is dry, coarse and brittle. [homeoint.org]

Anemia

[…] regrowth), the following skin, hair, and nail changes are seen in hypothyroidism: Pale, cool, and thick or "doughy" skin Dry, brittle hair, and hair loss, especially near [verywell.com]

[…] when exercising Muscle cramps and stiffness, in addition to weakness Skin/Hair/Nail Changes Due to decreased blood flow, water retention, and slowed processes (for example, hair [verywell.com]

Chronic Alcoholism

[…] skin Brittle 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]

[…] skin and brittle 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 [verywellmind.com]

[…] damage Breath that smells of alcohol on a consistent basis A marked decrease in attention to personal hygiene, showering and dental care Notable weight loss or weight gain Dry [michaelshouse.com]

Vitamin Deficiency

Vitmain A – nyctalopia, bitot spots, dry skin, dry hair, brittle finger nails, corneal perforation and xerophthalmia Vitamin B1 – neurologic symptoms like poor memory, Korsakoff [symptoma.com]

Plus Hair Without the vitamin A necessary for healthy growth, children often have thin, brittle, or lightened hair. [vitaminangels.org]

Plus Skin A visible sign of vitamin A deficiency is dry, flaky skin. [vitaminangels.org]

Myxedema

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 [nlm.nih.gov]

Malabsorption Syndrome

Dull, sparse, brittle hair, hypopigmentation, flag sign (alternating bands of light and normal color), broomstick eyelashes, alopecia, and overall thinning of the hair follicles [en.wikipedia.org]

[…] interactions with the world around them, have decreased urine output, and may be cool to touch.[43] Site Sign Face Moon face (kwashiorkor), simian facies (marasmus) Eye Dry [en.wikipedia.org]

Skin Loose and wrinkled (marasmus), shiny and edematous (kwashiorkor), dry, follicular hyperkeratosis, patchy hyper- and hypopigmentation, erosions, poor wound healing Nail [en.wikipedia.org]

Vitamin A Deficiency

People deficient in vitamin A may also have dry hair and skin, and brittle nails. [symptoma.com]

Plus Hair Without the vitamin A necessary for healthy growth, children often have thin, brittle, or lightened hair. [vitaminangels.org]

Plus Skin A visible sign of vitamin A deficiency is dry, flaky skin. [vitaminangels.org]

Celiac Disease

Original Article Elena Lionetti, M.D., Stefania Castellaneta, M.D., Ruggiero Francavilla, M.D., Ph.D., Alfredo Pulvirenti, Ph.D., Elio Tonutti, M.D., Sergio Amarri, M.D., Maria Barbato, M.D., Cristiana Barbera, M.D., Graziano Barera, M.D., Antonella Bellantoni, M.D., Emanuela Castellano, M.D., Graziella Guariso, M.D., Maria Giovanna Limongelli,[…] [doi.org]

Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Primary hyperparathyroidism Thyroid and parathyroid. Specialty Endocrinology Primary hyperparathyroidism is usually caused by a tumor within the parathyroid gland. The symptoms of the condition relate to the elevated calcium levels, which can cause digestive symptoms, kidney stones, psychiatric abnormalities, and bone[…] [en.wikipedia.org]

Marasmus

brittle hair that falls out easily and may lose its colour failure to grow in height tiredness or irritability ridged or cracked nails Kwashiorkor can be fatal if it's left [nhs.uk]

Symptoms of marasmus include a skeletal-thin body, dry skin, brittle hair, and dizziness, along with diarrhea, irritable behavior, and dehydration. [morningsignout.com]

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

Abuse and Neglect

The vast majority of birth parents and foster parents for children with special needs do the best they can in challenging circumstances. Many describe the frustrating circumstance of knowing more than their physicians about their child's unusual medical conditions. In general, physicians are well-advised to listen[…] [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Tropical Sprue

Overview Background Tropical sprue (TS) is a syndrome characterized by acute or chronic diarrhea, weight loss, and malabsorption of nutrients. It occurs in residents of or visitors to the tropics and subtropics, and it may be caused by environmental factors. [1] The first description of tropical sprue is[…] [emedicine.medscape.com]

Emotional Stress

Brain Res. 2014 Mar 20;1554:49-58. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.01.043. Epub 2014 Jan 31. Author information 1 Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, INCT, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: peliky@icb.ufmg.br. 2 Departamento de Ciências[…] [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Sleep Deprivation

Lack of sufficient sleep--a rampant problem among teens--appears to put adolescents at risk for cognitive and emotional difficulties, poor school performance, accidents and psychopathology, research suggests. BY SIRI CARPENTER Monitor staff On any given school day, teen-agers across the nation stumble out of[…] [web.archive.org]

Avitaminosis A

1952 May 24;74(21):1953-6. [Article in Undetermined language] PMID: 12988480 [Avitaminosis A] [Article in Undetermined language] H SAPIN-JALOUSTRE. Concours Med. 1952. No abstract available Similar articles [Experience in treating avitaminosis A in chickens with the mycelia of Blakeslea trispora]. Pashev Il, Kostov V,[…] [pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Chronic Disease

Fat-Soluble Vitamin Deficiency

Fat-soluble vitamin deficiency or FSV deficiency refers to an abnormally low concentration of vitamins A, D, E or K in the serum. They are more commonly diagnosed in infants and children and can be caused either by conditions interfering with the absorption of fat, chronic conditions, cholestasis or, in adults,[…] [symptoma.com]

Pellagra

April 1972 Arch Dermatol. 1972;105(4):574-577. doi:10.1001/archderm.1972.01620070046016 Full Text Pellagra, a disease of niacin-deficiency, may occur in association with the carcinoid syndrome. A 63-year-old black woman had both diseases. In the carcinoid syndrome, functioning tumor cells indirectly depress endogenous[…] [jamanetwork.com]

Monilethrix

Phenotypically, this results in breakage of the hair (brittle, dry, lusterless look) and patchy alopecia. [accessanesthesiology.mhmedical.com]

(Figure) Monilethrix Brittle, dry hair in a teenager with monilethrix. The eyebrows and eyelashes are also affected. Unknown. It is an autosomal dominant disorder. [accessanesthesiology.mhmedical.com]

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

Hypervitaminosis A

A case of hypervitaminosis A (HVA) as a complication of therapy for stage-IV neuroblastoma is presented. The patient was randomized to a trial of 13-cis -retinoic acid (a vitamin A-related compound) after completing routine chemotherapy. This acid was given as a means of maturing potential minimal residual disease.[…] [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

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]

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

Pili Torti

Subsequently they acquired a stubble of dry, brittle scalp hair. Axillary and pubic hair was normal. There was no evidence of hypogonadism or mental retardation. [nature.com]

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

[…] inheritance ; Brittle hair ; Coarse hair ; Dry hair ; Hair shafts flattened at irregular intervals and twisted through 180 degrees about their axes ; Hypoplasia of dental [mousephenotype.org]

Gorlin-Psaume Syndrome

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

brittle hair with zones of alopecia. [njcponline.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]

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]

“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]

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]