sclerema neonatorum /sklirē″mə/ [Gk, skleros + neos, new; L, natus, birth] , a progressive generalized hardening of the skin and subcutaneous tissue of the newborn. It is usually a fatal condition that results from severe cold stress in severely ill premature infants subject to such life-threatening conditions as metabolic acidosis, hypoglycemia, GI or respiratory infection, or gross malformation. Also called scleredema neonatorum, sclerema adiposum, scleroderma neonatorum.
