In the quiet routines of home-schooling, an invisible hazard emerged: a pre-teen boy developed a painful, patterned rash after resting his laptop on bare skin for hours each day, leading physicians to document a resurgence of erythema ab igne — a heat-induced skin condition once associated with hot water bottles and older generations. The case, published in BMJ Case Reports, reflects how swiftly new habits can revive old medical warnings, and how the tools we hand children for learning can carry consequences we have not yet thought to name.
Laptop Heat Exposure Linked to Rare Skin Condition in Children
A pre-teen boy experienced skin discoloration, rash, and peeling skin requiring hospitalization and weeks of recovery.