Authors : O.A. Oyedeji , V.I. Joel-Medewase , T.A. Ogunlesi and G.A. Oyedeji
Abstract: Dermatoses are common findings in newborns and their pattern varies from one geographical location to another. One hundred and thirty one babies aged between 1 and 7 days delivered at the post natal ward of the State Hospital, Osogbo South Western Nigeria over a 3 month time period were studied. The 131 babies consisted of 66 boys and 65 girls, thus giving a male to female ratio of 1:1. One hundred and twenty six babies (96.2%) had dermatoses, while 5 (3.8%) did not. Mongolian spots, miliaria, salmon patch, erythema toxicum, nevus, milia, cafe au lait spots and sebaceous hyperplasia were seen in 87(30.6%), 70(24.6%), 54(19.0%), 38(13.4%), 14 (4.9%), 13(4.6%),5(1.8%) and 3 (1.1%), respectively. Milia and sebaceous hyperplasia had a female predilection while the remaining dermatoses were more common in the male sex. Dermatoses were located on the buttocks, face, fore heads, napes, lower limbs, chest, eyelids, noses, upper limbs, necks, abdomen, backs and ears in 81(24.7%), 70(21.3%), 58(17.7), 38(11.6%), 15(4.6%),14(4.3%), 12(3.7%), 9(2.7%),9(2.7%), 7(2.1%), 7(2.1%), 7(2.1%) and 1(0.3%) cases, respectively. Of the 126 mothers whose babies had rashes, 28 (22.2%) were able to detect heat rashes in their babies prior to being examined. Most of the dermatoses recorded were benign. The cafe au lait spots on one of the 131 babies was a pointer to the diagnosis of neurofibromatosis. It is concluded that benign dermatoses of the newborn is common among the Nigerian newborn. The health care giver thus needs to be conversant with the dermatoses in his environment in other to manage them properly.
O.A. Oyedeji , V.I. Joel-Medewase , T.A. Ogunlesi and G.A. Oyedeji , 2008. Dermatoses in the Nigerian Newborn. Research Journal of Medical Sciences, 2: 19-22.