WHAT IS HEMANGIOMA?: Causes, Treatment, Baby - Cherry Hemangioma, Infantile (Strawberry) Hemangioma

Be sure to hit LIKE & SUBSCRIBE &NOTIFICATION BELL to not miss a single video!

What is Hemangioma?

Is a hemangioma a tumor?
A hemangioma is a benign (noncancerous) tumor made up of blood vessels. There are many types of hemangiomas, and they can occur throughout the body, including in skin, muscle, bone, and internal organs.

Is hemangioma serious?
They are very common and occur in approximately 10 percent of the world's population. Most cases show no symptoms. Symptomatic hemangiomas represent less than one percent of all hemangiomas, and are more common in women than in men. If left untreated, symptomatic hemangiomas can cause serious neurological effects.

What is the best treatment for hemangioma?
Since 2008, beta-blocker medications have become the most commonly used treatment for hemangiomas. Oral propranolol is an FDA-approved medication for treating hemangiomas in infants who are 5 weeks of age or older. The medication is usually given twice a day for at least six months.

What does a hemangioma look like?
A hemangioma is a bright red birthmark that shows up at birth or in the first or second week of life. It looks like a rubbery bump and is made up of extra blood vessels in the skin. A hemangioma can occur anywhere on the body, but most commonly appears on the face, scalp, chest or back.

Can hemangiomas be removed?
Hemangiomas can be removed with surgery or by using laser treatment. Both procedures are safe and effective. In many cases laser treatment is preferable because it does not typically leave a scar.

What causes hemangioma?
Hemangiomas of the skin develop when there's an abnormal proliferation of blood vessels in one area of the body. Experts aren't sure why blood vessels group together like this, but they believe it's caused by certain proteins produced in the placenta during gestation (the time when you're in the womb).

How do hemangiomas start?
Infantile hemangiomas are made up of blood vessels that form incorrectly and multiply more than they should. These blood vessels receive signals to grow rapidly early in a baby's life.

What are the two types of hemangiomas?
There are three main types: Superficial (on the surface of the skin): These look flat at first, and then become bright red with a raised, uneven surface. Deep (under the skin): These appear as a bluish-purple swelling with a smooth surface. Mixed: These hemangiomas have both superficial and deep components.

Is a liver hemangioma a tumor?
A liver hemangioma is a benign (non-cancerous) tumor in the liver that is made up of clusters of blood-filled cavities. Most liver hemangiomas do not cause symptoms, although larger ones can cause poor appetite, nausea and vomiting.

Can a hemangioma spread?
Hemangiomas do not spread to other places in the body or to other people. A child can have more than one hemangioma.

Is hemangioma genetic?
The cause for hemangiomas and vascular malformations is usually sporadic (occurs by chance). However, they can also be inherited in a family as an autosomal dominant trait.

Why do hemangiomas ulcerate?
Ulceration occurs in 10-15% of infantile hemangiomas, especially combined superficial and deep lesions. The cause of ulceration is not clear but may be a result of outstripped blood supply to the overlying skin or secondary to the action of certain cytokines.

Can liver hemangiomas turn cancerous?
Although many people refer to them as tumors, hemangiomas are not malignant and do not become cancerous. There is no evidence to suggest that people who do not treat a liver hemangioma can develop liver cancer.

What is a risk factor for hemangiomas?
Low birth weight and prematurity have been considered potential risk factors for developing hemangiomas, but our findings show that multiple gestation rather than prematurity or low birth weight is an independent risk factor for developing hemangiomas, owing at least in part to ethnic and/or racial differences.

Can a hemangioma cause blindness?
Eyelid hemangiomas can result in blindness and must be seen urgently by a pediatric ophthalmologist.

How do you care for a hemangioma?
Beta blocker drugs.

In small, superficial hemangiomas, a gel containing the drug timolol may be applied to the affected skin. A severe infantile hemangioma may disappear if treated with an oral solution of propranolol. Treatment usually needs to be continued until about 1 year of age.

Can spinal hemangioma be caused by trauma?
Also, in many patients with hemangioma of the skin, trauma has been regarded as an etiological factor. Recurrent trauma is thought to induce the growth of the hemangioma by mechanical irritation, which stimulates blood flow into preexisting lesions.

Do internal hemangiomas go away?
Most hemangiomas are in the head or neck area, but they can occur anywhere in the skin, mucous membranes, or internal organs. Most will keep growing for the first 3 to 5 months of life. Then they start to shrink.