National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Hypertrichosis lanuginosa congenita



Other Names:
Hypertrichosis universalis; Congenital hypertrichosis lanuginosa; CHL; Hypertrichosis universalis; Congenital hypertrichosis lanuginosa; CHL; Hypertrichosis lanuginosa universalis See More
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Hypertrichosis lanuginosa congenita is a congenital (present from birth) skin disease characterized by excessive lanugo (very fine, soft, unpigmented) hair covering the entire body, with the exception of the palms, soles, and mucous membranes.[1][2] The hair can grow to be 3 to 5 cm in length.[1] This condition appears to follow an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance.[2]
Last updated: 10/23/2014

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
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HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Delayed eruption of teeth
Delayed eruption
Delayed teeth eruption
Delayed tooth eruption
Eruption, delayed
Late eruption of teeth
Late tooth eruption
[ more ]
0000684
Generalized hirsutism
Excessive hairiness over body
0002230
Hearing impairment
Deafness
Hearing defect
[ more ]
0000365
Thick eyebrow
Bushy eyebrows
Dense eyebrow
Heavy eyebrows
Prominent eyebrows
Thick eyebrows
[ more ]
0000574
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Abnormality of skin pigmentation
Abnormal pigmentation
Abnormal skin color
Abnormal skin pigmentation
Abnormality of pigmentation
Pigmentary changes
Pigmentary skin changes
Pigmentation anomaly
[ more ]
0001000
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Gingival overgrowth
Gum enlargement
0000212
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Congenital, generalized hypertrichosis 0004540
Double eyebrow
Duplication of eyebrow
0010730
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • The Centers for Mendelian Genomics program is working to discover the causes of rare genetic disorders. For more information about applying to the research study, please visit their website.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

In-Depth Information

  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Hypertrichosis lanuginosa congenita. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

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  1. Hypertrichosis lanuginosa congenita. Orphanet. February 2012; http://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?lng=EN&Expert=2222. Accessed 10/23/2014.
  2. Hypertrichosis lanuginosa congenita. Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM). July 24, 2014; http://www.omim.org/entry/145700. Accessed 10/23/2014.