Hauterkrankungen des Säuglings

Abstract

Many symptoms of skin diseases in childhood are similar to those in adults - however, there are specific features which are highly characteristic for infants. The skin of babies is easily traumatized, as the dermoepidermal junction is not yet fully developed. Common benign transitory skin conditions include neonatal hyperplasia of sebaceous glands, milia, transient neonatal melanosis, miliaria rubra and cristallina and acne neonatorum. Aplasia cutis congenita, vascular anomalies and congenital melanocytic nevi belong to the group of congenital developmental defects. Infantile erythroderma is potentially life-threatening. Possible causes are infections (staphylococci, candida), congenital ichthyosis, immunodeficiencies, metabolic diseases and skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, seborrhoic dermatitis and drug reactions. The differential diagnosis of blisters and bullae in infants is broad and includes skin infections, epidermolysis bullosa, incontinentia pigmenti, mastocytosis and Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Eczema in infants is most often of atopic nature. However, seborrhoic dermatitis, contact dermatitis or zinc deficiency may be seen. Scabies infestation may mimic acute atopic dermatitis in infants. Scabies can fairly easily be diagnosed by dermoscopy and thus usually a scraping test is no longer necessary. When topical steroids are prescribed in childhood, detailed information for parents is mandatory in order to increase compliance and to prevent rebound phenomenon and skin atrophy. After approximately 12 years of therapeutic use in children, topical calcineurininhibitors have not shown any increased oncogenic risk. As an alternative to corticosteroids they are ideal particularly for the use on the face and in the diaper area. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.