Newsletter Marie Antoinette Syndrome What is Marie Antoinette Syndrome? Marie Antoinette syndrome is a rare medical condition where a person’s hair suddenly turns white overnight (canities). The name of this disease came from folklore about a French queen Marie Antoinette, whose hair supposedly turned white suddenly before her execution in 1793.Graying of the human hair is natural with age. As you grow older, you will start to lose the melanin pigments that are responsible for the color of your hair. But this condition Marie Antoinette Syndrome is not age-related. It’s related to a type of alopecia areata – a type of sudden hair loss. (But, It’s also important to say that, regardless of whether the stories are true, Marie Antoinette was only 38 years old at the time of her death). While there is a possibility for your hair to turn white in a relatively short period of time, this is not likely to happen within few minutes, as is suggested by supposed historical accounts. Symptoms Marie Antoinette syndrome is characterized by the sudden, somewhat inexplicable, and usually permanent hair whitening on the head or another part of the body. Unlike the natural graying of hair that takes place as people get older, Marie Antoinette syndrome has been reported in people of all people irrespective of their age, including the relatively young. The syndrome is also said to differ from the natural graying process in timing: most cases have occurred suddenly (often “seemingly overnight”) rather than gradually. Doctors generally consider Marie Antoinette syndrome as the stories define it as being a myth. However, when medical professionals do encounter cases in the real life, it’s usually referred to as Canities Subita (Latin for “sudden gray hair”).Some people also had other complaints at the time their hair became white, such as loss of hair or patches of discoloration on their skin. A few patients were thought to have specific medical conditions, such as alopecia or vitiligo.More recent accounts of the disease have had a more gradual than sudden onset. For example, in 2009 some researchers at the University of Zurich wrote a short case note on a female patient with Alopecia areata. The 54-year-old patient’s hair turned white over the period of several weeks. However, unlike the legends and other cases, the woman was healthy at the time, not under extreme stress, and hadn’t experienced a recent trauma. While the case of this woman was unusual and went medically unexplained, doctors didn’t regard it as being impossible—especially since it hadn’t happened overnight.   Researches about Marie Antoinette Syndrome There’s are no strong researches to support the theory of sudden hair whiteness. Still, tales of such incidents from history continue to run rampant. Besides the infamous Marie Antoinette, other popular people in history have also experienced the sudden whitening of their hair. One popular example is Thomas More, who had an experience of sudden whitening of his hair before his execution in 1535. A study published in the Archives of Dermatology also states that the bombing survivors from World War II also have experienced a sudden whitening of their hair. A sudden change of hair color has additionally been noted in literature and science fiction, usually with psychological undertones. According to Dr. Murray Feingold, still there is no valid research to suggest that you can lose your color of your hair overnight. Indeed, there is only one research article published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine that argues that the reported cases in the history of a sudden change of hair color overnight were likely linked to Alopecia Areata or to the washing out of temporary hair dye.   Causes Scholars explain that the appearance of rapidly graying hair in the famous historical scenario was most likely related to very simple causes. For example, prior to her execution Marie Antoinette had been imprisoned and would not have had access to cosmetics or hair dye. In other scenarios, severe hair loss may have been to blame. Even people who are relatively young in their teens and 20s can have gray or white hair in places. If the colored hair were to fall out or thin, the hair lacking in pigment would be more visible and starker. It’s also important to know how hair pigment works. Hair gets its color from melanin pigments. There are two types of Melanin. One type of melanin determines how dark the hair is while the other gives it undertones, usually red or yellow. Gradually, as we get older, our body makes less melanin. There may also be another important factor that gives rise to gray hair. Mouse studies have suggested that the cells responsible for making melanin might also produce hydrogen peroxide (which is commonly used to bleach hair). An enzyme called catalase can break down the hydrogen peroxide and prevent it from having an effect on pigmented strands of hair—at least until we start to get older. Like melanin, our body also produces less catalase as we age. It’s been suggested that the combination of less melanin and more hydrogen peroxide is the reason for why the hair becomes white. Download Pathophysiology & Clinical Medicine Flashcards eBook Sample of Pathophysiology Made Easy Flashcards eBook Causes of similar phenomena like Marie Antoinette syndrome Conditions of so-called Marie Antoinette syndrome are often thought to be caused by an autoimmune disorder. In Autoimmune disorders our immune system attacks our own body. In the case of Marie Antoinette syndrome-like medical conditions, your body would stop normal hair pigmentation. As a result of that, though your hair would continue to grow, it would be gray or white in color. There are other possible reasons of premature graying or whitening of the hair that might be mistaken for this syndrome. Here are some medical conditions that mimic Marie Antoinette syndrome Alopecia areata. This is one of the most important causes of pattern baldness. The clinical features of alopecia areata are thought to be caused by underlying inflammation. This results in