Cradle cap
| Classification according to ICD-10 | |
|---|---|
| L20.8 | Other atopic (endogenous) eczema - Endogenous cradle cap |
| L21.0 | Seborrhoea capitis - seborrheic cradle cap |
| ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019) | |
Cradle cap is the colloquial term for the crusty rash on the face and hairy head as part of the first manifestation of atopic eczema (neurodermatitis) in infancy . The term cradle cap is based on the similarity of the skin changes with “milk that is burnt and crusted in the pot” and does not mean that the intolerance to milk is the cause.
Symptoms and course
Atopic eczema in infancy seldom appears before the third month of life and is usually located symmetrically on the vertex and on the cheeks. The acute inflammation leads to indistinct, intensely itchy reddening of the skin with blistering and in the further course to yellow crust deposits. These exudative skin changes can also extend to the trunk and extremities and persist for a few months to about two years and then heal or lead to the chronic inflammatory form of atopic eczema.
Differential diagnosis
Cradle cap has an outward resemblance to the so-called head gneiss , is often confused with it and is often equated not only by lay people (see table: Classification according to ICD-10 ). Both lesions are indeed typical infant eczema (Eccema infantum), they are but fundamentally different diseases based on: Cradle cap is the initial manifestation of atopic dermatitis of infancy , head gneiss contrast, expression is a seborrheic dermatitis type I (infantile seborrheic dermatitis) as a result of excessive sebum production. The different criteria are compared in the following table:
| criteria | Cradle cap | Head gneiss |
|---|---|---|
| Start: | usually only appears after the 3rd month of life (atopic eczema) | appears about 1 week after birth (seborrheic eczema) |
| Duration: | several months up to 2 years | heals after the 3rd month of life (can also be present up to elementary school age, but usually heals within the first year of life.) |
| Forecast: | can develop into chronic atopic eczema | never becomes chronic |
| Root cause: | multifactorial | Seborrhea from remaining maternal androgens |
| Itching: | very intense itching | hardly any itching |
| Crusts: | hard dandruff | soft, fatty flakes |
| General condition: | severely impaired | hardly affected |
| Therapy: | Antipruritic measures, see atopic eczema | Crusts can be peeled off with oils and baths |
Historical sources
- Caroli Strack . De crusta lactea infantum ejuisdem specifico remedio. Frankfurt / Main 1779. Digitized
- Carl Strack. From the children's cradle cap and a specific remedy against it. Weimar 1788. Digitized
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gernot Rassner: Dermatology - textbook and atlas. 8th edition. Urban & Fischer, Munich / Jena 2007; P. 146, ISBN 3-437-42762-8
- ↑ a b c Helmut H. Wolff: "Skin diseases." In: Klaus Betke, Wilhelm Künzer, Jürgen Schaub (eds.): Textbook of Pediatrics - Keller / Wiskott. 6th edition. Thieme, Stuttgart / New York 1991; Pp. 946f, ISBN 3-13-358906-7
- ^ A b Peter Fritsch: Dermatology, Venereology. 2nd Edition. Springer, Berlin / Heidelberg / New York (among others) 2004; Pp. 292f, ISBN 3-540-00332-0
