Mongolian spot
| Mongolian spot | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Pediatrics  |
A Mongolian Spot, Mongolian Fleck or Mongolian Blue Spot is a benign flat congenital birthmark with wavy borders and irregular shape, most common among East Asians and Turks, and named after Mongolians. It is also extremely prevalent among East Africans and Native Americans.[1][2] It normally disappears three to five years after birth and almost always by puberty.[3] The most common color is blue, although they can be blue-gray, blue-black or even deep brown.
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 deep under the skin.[2] Usually, as multiple spots or one large patch, it covers one or more of the lumbosacral area (lower back), the buttocks, flanks, and shoulders.[2] It results from the entrapment of melanocytes in the dermis during their migration from the neural crest to the epidermis during embryonic development.[2]
The condition is not linked to sex; and male and female infants are equally predisposed to Mongolian spot. The spots are harmless.[2]
Among those who are not aware of the background of the Mongolian spots, it may sometimes be mistaken for a bruise.[4]
Prevalence
Mongolian spot is most prevalent among Mongols, Turks, and other Asian groups, such as the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese. Nearly all East Asian infants are born with one or more Mongolian spots. The incidence of Mongolian spot among East Asian infants is 95-100%.[1] It is also common if only one of the parents is East Asian.
Among East African infants it is found at rates between 90-95%, and 85-90% of Native American infants.[1]
The incidence among Caucasians, that is, the indigenous peoples of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian subcontinent (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) is between 1-10%.[1] However, it has been found to be prominent among Europeans that have had extensive interaction with Hun cultures, most notably Hungarians who have a 22.6% occurrence rate among their population.[5]
Additionally, there is an incidence of 50-70% among Latin-Americans,[1] presumably as a result of the Native American admixture found in mestizos (people of mixed European and Native American ancestry) who comprise the largest racial group among Latin-Americans.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e About Mongolian Spot
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- ^ Mtdna of Hungarians - Anthropology blog discussing the mtdna of Hungarians.