Acute huidloslating bij een pasgeborene

Acute blistering and erosion in a newborn is one of the few emergency cases seen in dermatology. It is important to differentiate between infectious causes, congenital abnormalities, autoimmune bullous dermatitis, immunological skin diseases and skin burns within 24 hours. In this clinical lesson, we present a case of acute skin detachment in a newborn caused by staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS). Our patient was a six-day-old boy who had developed flaccid blisters around the umbilicus, which ruptured on minimal friction. Generalised superficial erosions on the face, hands and feet arose within hours. Based on the clinical presentation combined with a subcorneal blister found on histopathological examination and a positive culture for Staphylococcus aureus on nasal and umbilical smears, the diagnosis of SSSS was made. Our patient was treated successfully with flucloxacillin and gentamicin; the skin lesions healed without scarring within six days.

Conflict of interest and financial support: a disclosure form provided by the author is available along with the full text of this article at www.ntvg.nl; search for A5272, click on ‘Belangenverstrengeling’ (‘Conflict of interest’).