Lamellar ichthyosis with poor school performance in a seven-year old Nigerian male: a case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Lamellar ichthyosis (LI) is a Greek phrase that literally means ‘the skin of a fish’. It is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of keratinisation resulting in excessive scaling and dryness of the skin. Babies born with this disorder present at birth as collodion babies. They are encased with semi-translucent membranes which are shed subsequently to reveal the adherent, thick, dark scales and dry skin that continues through-out life. Though LI is not life-threatening, it is disfiguring and results in psychosocial distress.  We present a 7-year old Nigerian male child with poor school performance possibly due to LI and highlight the challenges in the management in a resource-poor country.

Keywords: Lamellar ichthyosis, Collodion baby, Male, Nigeria