ABSTRACT
Ichthyosisis an infrequent clinical entity worldwide with an incidence of 1:600,000 births. It can be one of the two types: collodion baby and Harlequin fetus or malignant keratoma (most severe form). The clinical manifestations in either form are thick and hard skin with deep splits. Affected babies are born in a collodion membrane, a shiny waxy outer layer to the skin that is shed 10 - 14 days after birth, revealing the main symptom of the disease. The reported case is of a neonate, born to primigravida mother at seven and a half month's gestation with a birth weight of 2160 grams and Apgar score of 6/10 and 8/10 at 1 and 5 minutes respectively. Conclusively, early diagnosis of this condition can help cope and prevent serious morbidity or even mortality at time. These newborns should be monitored carefully in intensive care units by a multi-disciplinary team.
