Prevalence of Cutaneous Findings in Hospitalized Neonates: A Prospective Observational Study

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of physiologic and pathologic skin findings in the newborns hospitalized in our Newborn Unit. METHODS: All of newborn infants hospitalized in the Newborn Unit of Erciyes University Medical School Hospital in Central Anatolia, Turkey from February 1 to November 30, 2003, were included prospectively in the study. A questionnaire regarding maternal gestational history, maternal and family history was administered to the parents of each child. All skin lesions were recorded and mapped on a body chart. RESULTS: Of the 816 newborns, parents of 650 gave informed consent. Only 28 (4.3%) of the infants had no dermatologic examination findings. The most common 10 diagnoses were: xerosis/desquamation 257 (39.5%), sebaceous hyperplasia 207 (31.8%), transient toxic erythema 201 (30.9%), salmon patch 125 (19.2%), Mongolian spot 86 (13.2%), cutis marmorata 69 (10.6%), suction bulla 67 (10.3%), miliaria 55 (8.5%), hypertrichosis 51 (7.8%), and dermatitis (irritant, seborrheic, or diaper) 14 (2.1%). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that skin changes in the newborn are common, particularly desquamation, sebaceous hyperplasia, and transient toxic erythema.