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Concept
Infantile hemangioma
Summary
An infantile hemangioma (IH), sometimes called a strawberry mark due to appearance, is a type of benign vascular tumor or anomaly that affects babies. Other names include capillary hemangioma, strawberry hemangioma, strawberry birthmark and strawberry nevus. and formerly known as a cavernous hemangioma. They appear as a red or blue raised lesion on the skin. Typically, they begin during the first four weeks of life, growing until about five months of life, and then shrinking in size and disappearing over the next few years. Often skin changes remain after they shrink. Complications may include pain, bleeding, ulcer formation, disfigurement, or heart failure. It is the most common tumor of orbit and periorbital areas in childhood. It may occur in the skin, subcutaneous tissues and mucous membranes of oral cavities and lips as well as in extracutaneous locations including the liver and gastrointestinal tract.
The underlying reason for their occurrence is not clear. In about 10% of cases they appear to run in families. A few cases are associated with other abnormalities such as PHACE syndrome. Diagnosis is generally based on the symptoms and appearance. Occasionally medical imaging can assist in the diagnosis.
In most cases no treatment is needed, other than close observation. It may grow rapidly, before stopping and slowly fading. Some are gone by the age of 2, about 60% by 5 years, and 90–95% by 9 years. While this birthmark may be alarming in appearance, physicians generally counsel that it be left to disappear on its own, unless it is in the way of vision or blocking the nostrils. Certain cases, however, may result in problems and the use of medication such as propranolol or steroids are recommended. Occasionally surgery or laser treatment may be used.
It is one of the most common benign tumors in babies, occurring in about 5-10% of all births. They occur more frequently in females, whites, preemies, and low birth weight babies. They can occur anywhere on the body, though 83% occur on the head or neck area.
Official source
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