This 5-Month-Old Baby Grew Excessive Body Hair After Being Put On A Medication, And He's Going Viral For Making Hairy So Dang Cute
This video of 5-month-old Mateo Hernandez recently caught the attention of over 91 million people on TikTok:
♬ original sound - Bri Shelby
@blshelby#fyp #baby #foryoupage #hairy
Mateo is on a medication called diazoxide and it has a side effect that causes him to grow body hair.
And so many of the videos showcasing his hair have been going mega viral — here's another one with nearly 35 million views that shows his mother brushing his back:
♬ original sound - Bri Shelby
@blshelby#fyp #foryoupage #baby #hairy
"This disease can be life threatening, and doctors even told us that they are happy we caught it early because most parents don’t realize their baby had this condition until they have seizures or aren’t breathing," she added.
She added, "We didn’t know it was a big deal until people started saying, 'Oh my goodness, that’s a lot of hair!' Even the nurses were saying that when he was in the hospital!"
Bri said the hair Mateo has shouldn't be lifelong, however. "He should lose the hair after he stops taking the medication. I never expected my first video to become this big. Now I’m posting videos of it to show people that this is okay and it’s normal, and to not be ashamed!"
♬ original sound - Bri Shelby
@blshelbyReply to @ekidarehanf #fyp #baby #foryoupage #hairy
According to Bri, most of the responses about Mateo's condition have been positive, but unfortunately some have been negative — and people are even telling her to wax him.
♬ original sound - Camylio
@blshelbySince my other video got taken down he’s still so precious. #fyp #foryoupage #baby #hairy"No matter who you are, you will always have people that will say negative things, but we don’t let that affect us because at the end of the day, my baby is doing better, he’s healthier, and most importantly, he’s ALIVE. People don’t know what we went through having a newborn, and then having him being admitted in the hospital for two and a half months was hard on us emotionally and mentally because it was never-ending, and I just wanted my newborn home," Bri said.
Congenital hyperinsulinism is a very rare disease and is estimated to occur in 1 of 50,000 live births.
He added, "Congenital hyperinsulinism can either be genetic (caused by changes in a child's DNA) or as a result of medical problems during the pregnancy, such as high blood pressure or a child being born small. In general, hypertrichosis is rare, but can be caused by other medical or genetic conditions."
"Diazoxide (also known as Proglycem) is the first-line treatment that many doctors use to treat infants with congenital hyperinsulinism. It works by decreasing the ability of the pancreas to secrete insulin. Thus, it works to treat the underlying cause of hyperinsulinism. The two main side effects of diazoxide that we worry about are hypertrichosis and fluid retention," said Stone.
"Unfortunately, not all patients respond to diazoxide and may require other medications with more harmful side effects. In some cases, patients with congenital hyperinsulinism may even require surgery to remove part or most of the pancreas in order to prevent them from having low blood sugars."
You can see an example of lanugo on the infant's back in the above photo.
CHI is here to help support patients and patient families throughout their HI journeys. Visit our website to learn more about our free resources today: https://t.co/OwAFVL3Alx#Hyperinsulinism #CongenitalHyperinsulinism #RareDisease #RareDiseaseResearch #Hypoglycemia
Lastly, Bri has one ending message for parents: "If you are going through this, or any rare condition, please don’t be discouraged or ashamed by your baby's condition or what people say. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel — as long as your baby is alive, thriving, and getting healthy, that is all that matters at the end of the day."
♬ The Magic Bomb (Questions I Get Asked) [Extended Mix] - Hoàng Read
@blshelby#fyp #foryoupage #baby #hairy
Special thanks to Bri and Jared for sharing Mateo's story and for Dr. Stone's expertise. You can follow Mateo's journey on Instagram and TikTok and you can follow Dr. Stone on Instagram and Twitter.
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