Poster: Pigmentary Anomalies Along Blaschko’s Lines Secondary To Mosaicism (For Professionals)

In this Indian study, 10 consecutive cases of pediatric Patients with pigmentary alterations along Blaschko’s lines are investigated for the following parameters:

• Pigmentation anomaly:

1. In 6 cases there was hyperpigmentation
2. In 3 patients, there was only hypopigmentation
3. In 1 case both hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation.

• Sex distribution: 8 males and 2 females

• Age at onset (number of cases):

1. 0 to 6 months: 2
2. 6 months to 2 years: 6
3. 2 t o 4 years: 1
4. more than 4 years: 1

• Pattern of pigmentation (number of cases):

• linear/segmental: 5
• diffuse: 3
• unilateral: 1

• Central Nervous System CNS) Anomalies (number of cases):

1. seizures: 2
2. developmental delay: 2
3. autism: 1
4. mental retardation: 1

• Eye abnormalities (chart not intelligible):

1. squint
2. microphtalmy
3. coloboma

• Miscellaneous (chart not intelligible):

1. deafness
2. cardiac anomaly

Although the sample size is quite small, this interesting data collection highlights associations that pigmentation anomalies distributed along Blaschko’s lines can have in the young pediatric population.

It also reminds us that the skin (ectoderm), melanocyte (neurectoderm), nervous system (neurectoderm) and the eyes (neurectoderm + ectoderm) come from the same precursor cell and that a problem at that level will influence all the descending cells. When faced with a pigmentary problem in a young pediatric patient, watch out for CNS and ocular (as well as cardiac, skeletal…) anomalies.

Source of information: Poster (Mendiratta V), 10th Congress of the ESPD – Lausanne, Switzerland

Original article: here