JR Pan, TM Yuan, LH Chen, HM Yu

Abstract

Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a comparatively rare disease in the neonatal period. We report a case of Langerhans cell histiocytosis in a neonate with only haemorrhagic vesiculopustular skin lesions and insidiously developed multisystemic involvement of dermal, digestive, respiratory, and skeletal systems. We also review three cases of neonates with Langerhans cell histiocytosis reported in the Chinese-language medical literature. Any cutaneous involvement in neonates with Langerhans cell histiocytosis may indicate aggressive multisystemic disease and have a very poor prognosis; therefore skin biopsies should be performed in neonates with complicated cutaneous lesions as early as possible and careful observation should be applied to newborns with cutaneous Langerhans cell histiocytosis which should be treated as a multisystemic disease.