What is Maria Antonetta's syndrome, which bleaches her hair overnight?

Maria Antonietta's syndrome is a suspected medical condition characterized by sudden hair bleeding. In fact, just one night is enough to pass from a color head to a completely white head like that of an elderly person.

As shown in some scientific articles, Marie Antoinette's syndrome may be due to alopecia areata (a common autoimmune disorder that often results in unpredictable hair loss. "

What is Maria Antonietta's syndrome? With Maria Antonietta syndrome, we mean sudden hair whitening, a process that happens at night. The name derives from that of the famous Queen of France, who was convicted of guilty by the revolutionary court for high treason. According to the evidence of the time, the woman, who was killed at the age of 38, after the last night in the cell, appeared on the wharf with white hair. So this syndrome got its name.

Causes of Syndrome Maria Antonietta The most likely causes of the suspected syndrome are alopecia areata, a disease characterized by sudden hair loss and or fragmentation, but which may affect the entire body (alopecia areata universale). Alopecia areata may be caused by severe stress, such as that of a person sentenced to death as Marie Antoinette, so it is likely that the woman may have been a victim of this condition. Since hair colors were common in the past, scientists suggest that in some cases imprisoned, sudden eruption may be related precisely to lack of color access, while excessive sweating could affect this condition.

Known cases of Marie Antoinette syndrome In addition to that of the Queen of France who gave the name for the condition, some cases of somewhat unexpected hair whitening have been documented in medical and historical literature. As reported in Dermatology Jama in an article published in 2009 and called "Syndrome Maria Antonietta", refers to the issue of a 63-year-old who, after falling from the stairs, also suffered hair whitening. Similar but less unexpected cases were discovered during the Second World War among the bombing victims, which were undoubtedly subjected to great stress. Among the historic cases mentioned is that of the British martyr Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), whose hair became white at night in the London Tower before execution. The most ancient case of Maria Antonietta's syndrome is mentioned in the Talmud, a Hebrew holy text that deals with the unexpected hair scarring of a young scholar.