Woman Gives Birth To Baby With Plastic-Like Skin: Rare Disease For Baby

A case of a woman giving birth to a baby with tight, waxy and papery skin has been reported in Bengaluru. After about four weeks of intensive treatment, the child survived. The baby’s body faced several challenges as it was surrounded by a thick membrane. As a result, he was unable to close his eyelids and his upper lip was also abnormal, the doctor informed. The baby’s skin was like plastic wrap. Dry, itchy skin made the baby look rubbery, says Dr. Paediatrics and Neonatology, Narayana Health’s Mazumdar Shah Medical Center. Harini Sridhan said. Due to this condition, it was difficult for the mother to breastfeed the baby. Apart from this, due to this type of skin problem of the child, infections, respiratory problems and electrolyte imbalances were also encountered. The child was treated in the ICU for four weeks. The child survived as a result of treatment by dermatologists, ophthalmologists and neonatologists. Doctors said that this kind of strange problem will appear in only one child out of 3 lakhs. The collodion membrane peels off over time. However, the National Institutes of Health reports that only about one-tenth of patients have normal skin afterward. Doctors have said that the death rate in such complex cases globally is 53 percent.