Delayed umbilical cord separation

What it means

Separation of the umbilical cord occurs at an abnormally late timepoint.

The umbilical cord of the newborn usually separates and sloughs by the end of the second postnatal week. However, a wide variation exists in the age at which cord separation occurs in healthy infants with regard to ethnicity, geographical location, and methods of cord care. A marked delay in cord separation raises the suspicion of leukocyte adhesion deficiency, a rare disorder leading to defective neutrophil function.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Delayed separation of umbilical cord