Prevalence of blue spots among 1-10 years old children, Mongolia, 2014 / Монголын Анагаах Ухаан

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:Mongolian spots (MS) are congenital birthmarks seen most commonly over the lumbosacralarea. They are bluish-green to black in color and oval to irregular in shape. Dermal pigmentationappears gray, greyish-blue or greyish black because these colors have a shorter wavelength andare reflected to the skin surface. The amount of melanin in the dermal melanocytes, the numberof dermal melanocytes and their depth in the dermis are also important determinants of color. TheMongolian blue spots often fade in a few years and are almost always gone by adolescence.AIM:The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and characteristics of Mongolian spots in 1-10-years-old children.MATERIALS AND METHODS:The study was carried out on 1000 children who were lived in Ulaanbaatar during 2013-2014.Children were carefully examined for the presence of Mongolian spots, including the hairy skin,during the systematic physical examination. If a spot was observed, localization, size, color andshape were recorded. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS-21.RESULT:96.8% (95%CI 95.7-97.8) of the children’s was residents of Ulaanbaatar city, 49.2% [95%CI 46.1-52.5] of boys. The color of the Mongolian spots varied from pale blue to grayish blue. The mostfrequently involved sites were the lumbosacral areas. There was a disappearance in the incidenceof Mongolian spots with advancing age.CONCLUSION:The study shows that prevalence of blue spot among children aged 1-10 years old decreased withage and blue spot tended to disappear after the age of 10.