A newborn with abnormal skin that resembles a thick horny armor, divided into areas by deep red fissures. Affected infants die within a few days. The condition is also known as ichthyosis fetalis and ichthyosiform erythroderma, which were once regarded as separate diseases but are now known to represent different degrees of severity of the same entity.

SYN: ichthyosis congenita; ; ichthyosis fetalis

Main entry:
fetus