Carotenemia in infancy and its association with prevalent feeding practices

Carotenemia in infancy is a relatively rare but benign condition, invariably of dietary origin, that can be confused with jaundice. It is characterized by an abnormal yellowish orange pigmentation of the skin, most prominently seen in the palms, soles, and naso-labial folds. Infant feeding patterns have shown an increasing trend toward the usage of homogenized and pureed vegetables as well as meat-based commercial preparations. Whether this is reflected in an increased incidence of carotenemia in this age group still remains unclear. We report a series of infants identified by a retrospective review of records, observed over a 3-year period (1999-2002) in a tertiary children's hospital, who developed the condition that resolved spontaneously without intervention, as they grew older, on a changing diet.