Baby with rare disorder born in Bhopal

A collodion baby — a rare inherited skin disorder — has been born in Bhopal. Affected babies are born in a collodion membrane, a shiny waxy outer layer over the skin.

The disorder, lamellar ichthyosis, affects around one in 600,000 people, doctors said Friday.

The baby was born at JP Hospital here Wednesday.

“The first such baby had born in 1892, and till now only 400 cases of collodion babies are recorded in the world,” said Prabhakar Tiwari of JP Hospital.

A collodion baby is a high risk newborn and must be nursed in a specialised intensive care unit during the neonatal period.

The weight of the newborn is 1.8 kg, and the first 30 days are critical for the baby.

“There is also an increased risk of skin infection until the skin sheds off. The baby cannot open his eyelids and mouth due to the tightness of the skin,” added Tiwari.

The hospital did not disclose the name of the parents.