Facts about haemangioma
What is haemangioma?<br>The word ‘haemangioma’ comes from the Latin words ‘hemangio’ meaning blood vessel and ‘oma’ meaning tumour with active cell dividing activity. A haemangioma is an abnormal build up of blood vessels in the skin or internal organs leaving a skin lesion in the top s
What is haemangioma?
The word ‘haemangioma’ comes from the Latin words ‘hemangio’ meaning blood vessel and ‘oma’ meaning tumour with active cell dividing activity. A haemangioma is an abnormal build up of blood vessels in the skin or internal organs leaving a skin lesion in the top skin layers. It may also be deeper in the skin or a mixture of both.
Haemangioma differs from other birthmarks in that they are biologically active; their growth is dependent on the growth of the child.
Haemangioma is usually present at birth, although it may appear within a few months after birth. It often begins at a site that is slightly dusky or differently coloured than the surrounding tissue.
Haemangioma undergoes a rapid growth phase in which its size increases. It is followed by a rest phase, in which the haemangioma changes very little, and an involutional phase in which it begins to disappear.
During the involutional phase, the haemangioma may disappear completely. Large ones distort the skin around them. 50% of lesions will have disappeared by age five and the rest by 10 years.
Haemangioma may form at any part of the body. However, haemangioma of the eyelid may interfere with the development of normal vision and must be treated in the first few months of life. Sometimes, the size and location of haemangioma may interfere with breathing and feeding.
Who can get haemangioma?
The condition is fairly rare, especially in Africa. One in 100 children are born in the US each year with a birthmark that requires the opinion of a specialist. Most haemangioma appear within a week or two after birth. They are up to five times more common in girls than boys. They occur more frequently in premature infants. Children with low birth weight (less than 1.2kg) have a 26% chance of developing it.
About 30% of all haemangioma are visible at birth. The rest become visible within one to four weeks after birth. The cause of haemangioma has not been determined. There is no known way to prevent haemangioma.
Considerations
Complications likely to arise from haemangioma include visual obstruction, airway obstruction and aural (ear) canal obstruction. Treatment becomes vital in case of bleeding, pain and a possibility of permanent facial disfigurement. Haemangioma located in the genital areas may become infected by the bacteria there. Infants with three or more small haemangioma should be checked for internal haemangioma of the liver or digestive tract.
What to do if your child has
haemangioma
It is important to have each child evaluated by a specialist in haemangioma.
Surgery is almost never a first choice for treatment. There are instances, where a rapidly growing lesion will not respond to therapy, but such instances are rare. Most haemangioma disappear if left alone. However, early treatment is recommended.
The word ‘haemangioma’ comes from the Latin words ‘hemangio’ meaning blood vessel and ‘oma’ meaning tumour with active cell dividing activity. A haemangioma is an abnormal build up of blood vessels in the skin or internal organs leaving a skin lesion in the top skin layers. It may also be deeper in the skin or a mixture of both.
Haemangioma differs from other birthmarks in that they are biologically active; their growth is dependent on the growth of the child.
Haemangioma is usually present at birth, although it may appear within a few months after birth. It often begins at a site that is slightly dusky or differently coloured than the surrounding tissue.
Haemangioma undergoes a rapid growth phase in which its size increases. It is followed by a rest phase, in which the haemangioma changes very little, and an involutional phase in which it begins to disappear.
During the involutional phase, the haemangioma may disappear completely. Large ones distort the skin around them. 50% of lesions will have disappeared by age five and the rest by 10 years.
Haemangioma may form at any part of the body. However, haemangioma of the eyelid may interfere with the development of normal vision and must be treated in the first few months of life. Sometimes, the size and location of haemangioma may interfere with breathing and feeding.
Who can get haemangioma?
The condition is fairly rare, especially in Africa. One in 100 children are born in the US each year with a birthmark that requires the opinion of a specialist. Most haemangioma appear within a week or two after birth. They are up to five times more common in girls than boys. They occur more frequently in premature infants. Children with low birth weight (less than 1.2kg) have a 26% chance of developing it.
About 30% of all haemangioma are visible at birth. The rest become visible within one to four weeks after birth. The cause of haemangioma has not been determined. There is no known way to prevent haemangioma.
Considerations
Complications likely to arise from haemangioma include visual obstruction, airway obstruction and aural (ear) canal obstruction. Treatment becomes vital in case of bleeding, pain and a possibility of permanent facial disfigurement. Haemangioma located in the genital areas may become infected by the bacteria there. Infants with three or more small haemangioma should be checked for internal haemangioma of the liver or digestive tract.
What to do if your child has
haemangioma
It is important to have each child evaluated by a specialist in haemangioma.
Surgery is almost never a first choice for treatment. There are instances, where a rapidly growing lesion will not respond to therapy, but such instances are rare. Most haemangioma disappear if left alone. However, early treatment is recommended.