Harlequin color change

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Harlequin color change is called a harmless, position-dependent, half-sided, pale to deep red discoloration of the trunk and head with a clear separation in the midline in newborns . The top side is pale, the bottom side dark. It occurs in around 5% of healthy newborns.

The reason for the discoloration is immaturity in the hypothalamic vasomotor center, which means that normal vasoconstriction is delayed. This causes the blood to sink into the lower half of the body. It lasts a few seconds to two minutes and can occur up to the first year of life. If a Harlequin color change can be observed in infants over four weeks old, the presence of a heart defect must be excluded. In premature infants , this phenomenon is more common.

literature

  • Heiko Traupe, Henning Hamm: Pediatric Dermatology . Springer, 2nd edition 2006, ISBN 978-3-540-25646-5 , p. 12.

See also