Miliaria in Neonates at a South-West Nigerian, State Hospital

Abstract

Miliaria is also known as heat rashes. It is a disorder of sweat glands that affects all age groups, especially the neonates also, they commonly occur in the tropics. Miliaria has however been understudied globally. We therefore studied neonates over a 3 month peroid at the welfare clinic of the State Hospital, Osogbo, in order to determine the prevalence and the factors associated with heat rashes among neonates. Relevant information was obtained about the babies from their mothers, after which the babies were examined to detect miliaria and possible related factors such as secondary infections and clothing. A total 193 babies made up of 103 boys and 90 girls were studied. Their age range was between 1 and 28 days and 118(61.1%) of them had miliaria. Heat rashes were found on the forehead, face, trunk, neck and limbs in 98(59.8%), 24(14.6%), 19(11.6%), 18(11.0%), and 5(3.0%) babies respectively. Sixty nine babies were over clothed and 124 were not. Forty nine (71.0%) of the 69 over clothed babies had miliaria compared with the corresponding 69(55.6%) of the 124 non-over clothed. ÷2= 4.41, P= 0.04. Also, of the non-over clothed babies, 48 were dressed in cotton while the remaining 76 were either dressed in, polyester, wool or silk fabric. Miliaria was present in 10 (20.8%) of the 48 babies dressed in cotton compared, with the corresponding 59(77.6%) of the remaining 76 babies. ÷2= 37.88, P= 0.00. Of the 118 mothers of the babies with heat rash, 41 (34.7%) correctly recognized their babies condition, but none managed their babies correctly irrespective of their educational status. To reduce the burden of neonatal miliaria, mothers of newborn need to be properly educated concerning the recognition of the condition and avoidance of inappropriate clothing.