Carotenaemia in children is common and benign: most can stay at home.

We identified children with elevated plasma carotene levels who attended the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, between July 1998 and April 2001 and carried out a retrospective case record review. Thirty-one children were identified (7 boys; 14 girls) with a median age at presentation of 13 months (range 7m- 11yrs). Twenty-seven (87%) children had simple diet-related carotenaemia and were well. In four cases the hypercarotenaemia reflected nutritional problems with associated failure to thrive. In only one case did the family doctor recognise the condition before referral. Many who attended hospital had laboratory confirmation of the benign diagnosis despite a clear dietary origin. Some had repeat laboratory tests to confirm resolution. Diet-related carotenaemia appears common in our community. The condition appears poorly recognised within primary care and hospital investigations may be over-enthusiastic.