ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hair casts(HGs) is a disorder of asymptomatic, firm yellowish white, freely movable accretions which encircles but is not attatched to the hairs. There are two types of HC:The first type, parakeratotic HC, is frequently associated with parakeratotic scalp disorders;the second type, the peripilar keratin casts, in an uncommon type not usually associated with diseases of the scalp and has only been reported in female children. The pathophysiology and origin of HC is poorly understood with only 37 cases reported in the literature. @ ES OBJECTIVE: our pupose was to establish the prevalence of hair cast in schoold children and to determine the predisposing factors of hair casts in Korea. METHODS: Five hundred and thirty-seven students of elementary schools(274male, 263female) were examined. Samples of plucked hair were stained with 4-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde and examined under light microscopes. RESULTS: There were 182 patients with HC;Peripilar keratin casts:174(CRSC 165, ERSC 7, IRSC 2); paakeratotic HC:8. In a total of 182 patients with HC, 181 were girls and the incidence of HC in female children was 68.8%(181/263). In girls who tie up or weave their hair, the incidence of peripilar keratin casts was as high as 81.8%(171/209). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the traction to the hair follicle may play a role in the generation of HC, and that peripilar keratin casts are not rare in Korea.