[OT] Hypertrichosis

[Andrew D. Gable]

OK, figured given the amazing diversity of knowledge on this board, someone might know this. This is brought up by an idea for Shadowrun I'm tossing about.

I'm only aware of a handful of cases of hypertrichosis (that Mexican family, Theodore Petrof AKA JoJo the Dogfaced Boy, Julia Pastrana (well, she MIGHT've had hypertrichosis), and some guy (forget his name) from the Canary Islands). Anyway, of those four, three are of Hispanic (and particularly Mexican) descent (Petrof was Russian, but that's all coming from the mouth of P.T. Barnum, and, well, he wasn't exactly a stickler for truth. He also said Petrof was found living wild in the forests...His name may not have even been Petrof, but I digress). Anyway, would any geneticists or other knowledgeable folks happen to know if there is a definitive link between Mexican ethnicity and occurence of hypertrichosis?

Those knowledgeable about Shadowrun may know where I'm going with this.

BTW: please post no pics. They scare me (I'm like a little kid that way).

 

[mirzabah]

... I'm only aware of a handful of cases of hypertrichosis (that Mexican family, Theodore Petrof AKA JoJo the Dogfaced Boy, Julia Pastrana (well, she MIGHT've had hypertrichosis), and some guy (forget his name) from the Canary Islands). Anyway, of those four, three are of Hispanic (and particularly Mexican) descent (Petrof was Russian, but that's all coming from the mouth of P.T. Barnum, and, well, he wasn't exactly a stickler for truth. He also said Petrof was found living wild in the forests...His name may not have even been Petrof, but I digress). Anyway, would any geneticists or other knowledgeable folks happen to know if there is a definitive link between Mexican ethnicity and occurence of hypertrichosis?

Can't really help you here, but I do have some first hand experience with hypotrichosis

 

[Zander]

I'm only aware of a handful of cases of hypertrichosis (that Mexican family... Anyway, of those four, three are of Hispanic (and particularly Mexican) descent... Anyway, would any geneticists or other knowledgeable folks happen to know if there is a definitive link between Mexican ethnicity and occurence of hypertrichosis?

There may be but there doesn't have to be. There was a case of a Chinese boy with the condition a few years ago IIRC. The genetic code for hypertrichosis and extra vertebrae forming a vestigial tail seem to be DNA that is common but not normally expressed - nature's way of ensuring that, should we need them, we have the genes in place.