Infant Journal
Browse articlesFragile preterm infant skin masking clues to a significant infection: If the pattern doesn’t fit, think HSV
An extreme preterm infant born of spontaneous preterm labour with minimal antenatal care was noted on admission to have areas of linear skin scarring and breakage. The infant was initially thought to have very fragile preterm skin. Due to these lesions being out of keeping with the purported gestational age and coupled with a petechial rash, viral infection investigations were sent and yielded a positive result for Herpes simplex
type 1.
Neonatal Registrar
ayanda.madide@nhs.net
Dr Palaniappan Sashikumar
Consultant Neonatologist
Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit, Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Gillingham
Madide A., Sashikumar P. Fragile preterm infant skin masking clues to a significant infection: If the pattern doesn’t fit, think HSV. Infant 2025; 21(5): 139-41.
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Keywords
neonatal; congenital herpes simplex virus (HSV); preterm skin; ;
Key points
- Herpes simplex virus can lead to life threatening complications.
- Preterm skin can mask the appearance of HSV skin lesions.
Also published in Infant:
VOLUME 16/ISSUE 6, NOVEMBER 2020
Infant massage is indicated for increased weight gain and improved neurodevelopment in term and preterm infants. In addition, massage therapy has been known to decrease bilirubin levels and promote stool frequency in term infants and improve self-confidence in new mothers. This study evaluates the effects of an interactive behavioural cues-based infant massage programme on admission rates for hyperbilirubinaemia, frequency of breastfeeding and the growth of healthy term infants. The findings suggest that training mothers to identify infant behaviour cues has beneficial effects.
