Congenital hypotrichosis means a cat is born with less hair than normal, and congenital alopecia means no hair. The cause is abnormal development of the hair follicle. For the NAVLE the useful skill is to separate a harmless inherited coat trait, such as the Sphynx or Devon Rex coat, from a lethal syndrome such as hairless Birman kittens with no thymus, and from acquired hair loss that needs treatment.
Key facts
Congenital Hypotrichosis/alopecia at a glance- Species and system: cat; integumentary (hair follicle and ectodermal development).
- Cause: inherited defects in follicle development. KRT71 variants underlie the Sphynx and Devon Rex coats (Gandolfi 2010); a FOXN1 deletion causes hypotrichosis with short life expectancy in Birman cats (Abitbol 2015).
- Classic presentation: hair loss present from birth or the first weeks, symmetrical and non-itchy, sometimes affecting littermates.
- Confirming test: skin biopsy (MSD); gene tests exist for the named breed variants.
- Treatment: managed, not cured (MSD). Do not breed affected cats or carriers of lethal forms.
- Zoonotic or reportable: no.
What's inside
11 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Treatment and management
- Counselling and practical points
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 2 tables, 3 self-test questions and 5 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.