Rare diseases · Sign or symptom
Nevus anemicus
HP:0025105
What it means
A congenital skin lesion characterized by irregular hypopigmented macules that coalesce to form plaques and occur particularly on the chest. It is generally present at birth or develops in the first days of life. It is more common in females. Diagnosis is confirmed by applying gentle friction to the lesion and the surrounding skin and checking that the erythema produced in the healthy skin does not appear in the hypopigmented lesion. This pale macule becomes more conspicuous when the lesion and its surroundings are rubbed. The margin of the naevus is ill-defined and consists of an archipelago of small anemic spots.
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: Naevus anaemicus
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Start free with EleplanThis page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.