Bronze baby syndrome. Report of a case.
A newborn female infant suddenly developed a generalized gray-brown discoloration of her skin while receiving phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia. The discoloration waned over the succeeding weeks. Her serum contained an unknown pigment that had a characteristic absorbance on spectrophotometry. The distinctive findings and some possible causes of the bronze baby syndrome are discussed. The findings are compared to other causes of dusky-hued skin in the neonate. The bronze baby syndrome is usually innocuous but can signal life-threatening disease.
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000628:therapy; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010859:Pigmentation Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000097:blood; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013577:Syndrome
D010860:Pigments, Biological