Hoarse cry and respiratory stridor are the signs of potentially life-threatening laryngeal involvement in selected severe and frequently early lethal subtypes of inherited epidermolysis bullosa (EB). We present a newborn with generalized skin blistering and onychodystrophy who developed a hoarse cry and inspiratory stridor. Ultrastructural skin examination revealed tonofilament clumping in basal keratinocytes and genetic testing identified the de novo missense mutation p.Arg125Cys in the KRT14 gene, consistent with EB simplex generalized severe, which is characterized by major morbidity in infancy but a favorable long-term prognosis. The present case underlines the importance to consider EB simplex generalized severe in the differential diagnosis of EB infants presenting hoarseness and stridor.
Keywords: keratin 14; laryngeal involvement; respiratory stridor; skin and mucosal fragility.
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