Mongolian spot
| Mongolian spot | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
 Mongolian spot visible on six-month-old Taiwanese baby girl |
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| ICD-10 | D22.5 (ILDS D22.505) |
| ICD-9 | 757.33 (CDC/BPA 757.386) |
| DiseasesDB | 8342 |
| eMedicine | derm/271 |
| MeSH | D049328 |
A Mongolian spot, also known as "Mongolian blue spot," "Congenital dermal melanocytosis,"[1] and "Dermal melanocytosis"[1] is a benign, flat, congenital birthmark with wavy borders and irregular shape, discovered on and named after Mongolians by Erwin Bälz.[2][3] It is also extremely prevalent among East Asians, Polynesians, Native Americans, and East Africans.[4][5] It normally disappears three to five years after birth and almost always by puberty.[6] The most common color is blue, although they can be blue-gray, blue-black or even deep brown.
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[edit] Origin
The Mongolian spot is a congenital developmental condition exclusively involving the skin. The blue colour is caused by melanocytes, melanin-containing cells, that are usually located in the epidermis but are in the deeper region of the skin known as the dermis in the location of the spot. [5] Usually, as multiple spots or one large patch, it covers one or more of the lumbosacral area (lower back), the buttocks, flanks, and shoulders.[5] It results from the entrapment of melanocytes in the lower half to two-thirds of the dermis during their migration from the neural crest to the epidermis during embryonic development.[5]
The condition is unrelated to gender; male and female infants are equally predisposed to Mongolian spot. The spots are harmless. Despite the name, Mongolian spots have no known anthropologic significance, except for being more common in darker-skinned infants.
Among those who are not aware of the background of the Mongolian spots, it may sometimes be mistaken for a bruise, possibly resulting in unfounded concerns about abuse.[7]
[edit] Prevalence
Rough estimates are that the Mongolian spots are most prevalent among infants of East Asian groups, although is present also among European infants 40-45%, American Indian 80-85%, gypsies 85-90% and black infants. Infants may be born with one or more Mongolian spots ranging from small area on the buttocks to a larger area on the back. They also occur in about 90-95% and about 80-85% of East African and Native American infants, respectively.[4] Approximately 90% of Polynesians and Micronesians are born with Mongolian spots, as are about 46% of Latin American children.[8] These spots also appear on 5-10% of babies of full Caucasian descent.[4]
[edit] Cultural references
The Mongolian spot is referred to in the Japanese idiom shiri ga aoi (尻が青い), meaning "to have a blue butt." [9][10] And in Mexico is referred as "la patada de Cuahutémoc", meaning "Cuahutémoc's kicking".
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Rapini, Ronald P.; Bolognia, Jean L.; Jorizzo, Joseph L. (2007). Dermatology: 2-Volume Set. St. Louis: Mosby. pp. 1720. ISBN 1-4160-2999-0.
- ^ Die koerperlichen Eigenschaften der Japaner.(1885) Baelz.E. Mittheil.d.deusch Gesell.f.Natur-u-Voelkerheilkunde Ostasiens. Bd.4.H.32
- ^ Circumscribed dermal melanosis (Mongolian spot)(1981) Kikuchi I, Inoue S. in "Biology and Diseases of Dermal Pigmentation", University of Tokyo Press , p83
- ^ a b c About Mongolian Spot
- ^ a b c d Mongolian blue spots - Health care guide discussing the Mongolian blue spot.
- ^ Mongolian Spot DrGreen.com
- ^ Mongolian Spot - English information of Mongolian spot, written by Hironao NUMABE, M.D., Tokyo Medical University.
- ^ Epidemiology of Mongolian spot on MedScape
- ^ 尻 (Japanese)
- ^ "The butt is blue": the untold story, Language Log, October 15, 2008 @ 3:14 pm; comment of October 16, 2008 @ 11:39 am
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