Marie Antoinette syndrome is a sudden whitening of the hair. The event that named the syndrome was the observation that the hair of Queen Marie Antoinette of France turned stark white after her capture after the ill-fated Flight to Varennes during the French Revolution. Witnesses have alleged that Antoinette's hair suddenly turned white on three separate occasions.
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Documented cases
The first actual documented case in history is represented in the Talmud by a story of a Jewish scholar who, at the age of 17 years, developed white hair locks due to overwork. Recent cases have also been noted in Fleetwood Mount Vernon, where Chris has white spots in his hair, and marks on his skin notifying the disease.
Now and again, contemporary cases have been documented, as in bombing victims in the second world war or in a recently published case.
Causes
The syndrome is thought to be a variant of alopecia areata diffusa or autoimmune non-scarring hair loss that affects selectively all pigmented hairs, leaving only the white hair behind.
Triggers activating the autoimmune mechanisms have been postulated, including sorrow and fear, but also fits of rage, extreme amounts of stress, unwelcome, unexpected news.