[Collodion baby. Clinical course based on 29 cases].

Study of 29 cases of collodion baby and 169 cases previously published led to several conclusions. In the short-term, the child is threatened by pulmonary infections. The increased skin permeability may result in the loss of water or intoxication by cutaneous absorption of a substance applied to the skin. In the long-term the condition progresses to one of a congenital disturbances in keratinisation. In 2/3 of cases, the problem is that of congenital non-bullous ichthyosiform erythrodermia. Profression to lamellar ichthyosis, ichthyosis vulgaris, circumflex linear ichthyosos and Conradi's syndrome is established. Ichthyosis related to sex in our cases did not seem to be a feature of the collodion baby, the opinion in the literature being divergent. Congenital bullous ichthyosiform erythrodermia never begins as collodion baby syndrome.