Survey of skin lesions in neonates. A study in a rural population of north India.

Abstract

340 consecutive newborns delivered at the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital, District Patiala, India, over a period of 6 months were examined for presence of skin lesions within one week from birth. The 8 most commonly observed lesions were Mongolian spot (40.0%), Epstein's pearls (36.8%), sebaceous hyperplasia (26.2%), nevus simplex (24%), erythema toxicum neonatorum (19.7%), milia (15.3%), lamellar desquamation (12.1%) and miliaria (7.1%). The results were comparable to earlier studies and confirmed that skin changes in newborns are common though geographic variations are apparent in the frequency of occurrence of individual skin disorders. Proper identification and informing the parents about these are essential to strengthen relationship between family and child physician.