Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2023 Nov:112:108930.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2023.108930. Epub 2023 Oct 11.

Collodion baby: A rare case report

Affiliations
Case Reports

Collodion baby: A rare case report

Maryem Bouab et al. Int J Surg Case Rep. 2023 Nov.

Abstract

Introduction: Collodion baby "CB" is an extremely rare dermatological condition. Approximately 1 in 100,000 births are identified as infants with CB syndrome, including stillbirths (Dyer et al., 2013). A cornified substance replaces the newborn's skin, giving the body a varnished or parchment-like appearance.

Case presentation: Patient aged 30 years, third gesture, third pare, admitted for premature delivery of 8 months. After labor management, she gave birth 2 h after admission to the maternity ward of a living newborn female weighing 2400 g. The initial physical examination revealed large, thick scales all over the body. Examination of the head and neck revealed an abnormal parchment-like membrane covering the head and sparse hairs. Excessive scaling around the mouth gives a typical fish-like appearance. No other obvious abnormalities were observed.

Clinical discussion: CB is an extremely rare dermatological condition. This is a disorder secondary to cornification. These children are generally born prematurely, and are not diagnosed until after birth. Due to the presence of a tight membrane, these babies develop numerous complications such as eclabium, ectropion, limited movement of the extremities and fingers. Treatment consists mainly of support, such as the use of intravenous fluids, incubators, tube feeding and emollients.

Conclusion: The collodion baby is a newborn characterized by an altered skin barrier, exposing him or her to numerous complications. Fortunately, the mortality rate has fallen thanks to improved neonatal care.

Keywords: Collodion baby; Dermatological affection-premature delivery; New-born.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement The authors declare having no conflicts of interest for this article.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Image of the newborn.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
image showing cornification defect.

References

    1. van Gysel D., Lijnen R.L.P., Moekti S.S., De Laat P.C.J., Oranje A.P. Collodion baby: a follow-up study of 17 cases. J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol. 2002;16(5):472–475. - PubMed
    1. Cortina W.J., Cruz M.J., Villalobos O.A., Espinoza M.A. Ictiosis congenital (feto arlequín) Bol. Med. Hosp. Infant. Mex. 1975;32:699–702.
    1. Dyer J.A., Sparker M., William M. Care of newborn with ichthyosis. Dermatol. Ther. 2013;26(1):1–15. - PubMed
    1. Srivastava P., Srivastava A., Srivastava P., Betigeri A.V.K., Verma M. Congenital ichthyosis-collodion baby case report journal of clinical and diagnostic research. JCDR. 2016 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dermatology at the Millennium. By Delwyn Dyall-Smith, Robin Marks. Published by Informa Health Care; 1999. p. 586. (ISBN)

Publication types