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Hemangiomas are congenital vascular abnormalities and are one of the most common birth defects. They appear in most cases on the surface of the skin and soft tissues. Hemangiomas appear in both children and adults. This problem affects about 5-10 percent. infants, and in the case of adults, they most often appear between 30 and 40 years of age. Check what is the diagnosis and treatment of hemangiomas.
Hemangiomas – causes
Hemangiomas are benign tumors that are formed from capillaries, which are tiny blood vessels. They most often appear in the early childhood period and appear in the integuments of the body, i.e. the skin or subcutaneous tissue. Hemangiomas can also develop in tissue in the lungs, liver, and brain.
Hemangiomas have two stages of development, but their mechanism of action is unknown. This is the stage of proliferation, that is angioma hyperplasia and involution, that is, its disappearance. When the hemangioma begins to disappear, the capillary lumen becomes fibrotic.
The causes of the formation of hemangiomas There are many. Hemangiomas are a consequence of somatic mutations in genes, displacement of the placental endothelium, disturbances in angiogenesis, i.e. the process of capillary formation, abnormal reaction of the body to injury or infection, chronic liver diseases, hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid disease, blocking the blood supply to the fetal vessels with cells derived from from the placenta and skin-nervous syndrome.
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Hemangiomas – types
Hemangiomas are mostly benign neoplastic changes. Belong to them:
- flat hemangiomas – also spotted, visible on the skin from birth;
- Capillary hemangioma – these appear in newborns or within a few weeks after birth. They affect girls much more often than boys. Most often they disappear by themselves between the ages of 6 and 7;
- cavernous hemangioma – occurs at every stage of human life and is much more common in women;
- lymphangioma – appears from birth or in the first years of a child’s life;
- stellate hemangioma – it occurs in children and often in young women, but practically does not occur in men.
Hemangiomas can also occur in malignant forms as:
- Kaposi’s hemangioma;
- malignant hemangioma;
- hemangiosarcoma.
If you want to reduce the visibility of hemangiomas on the skin, try FLOSLEK gel with arnica for dilated capillaries, bruises, bruises and swellings available on Medonet Market.
Hemangiomas – frequency of occurrence
Superficial hemangiomas are quite frequent changes. They concern up to 10 percent. of infants and, interestingly, they appear much more often in girls than in boys. It is worth noting that with age, the number of angiomas decreases because some of them hemangiomas in infants it completely fades over time. Therefore, among people over 10 years of age, the number of cases of hemangioma drops below 10%.
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Hemangiomas – symptoms
Hemangiomas most often appear on the scalp and neck. Hemangiomas located closer to the skin surface appear as red, slightly raised points, up to 3 mm in diameter. Those located in the deeper layers of the skin show blue. It happens that when the hemangioma disappears, it leaves a scar or discoloration. Telangiectasias, i.e. widening of small vessels, are also possible.
Large hemangiomas are rarer. These include cavernous hemangioma, which is usually located on one side of the body and, unfortunately, does not disappear with age. Cavernous hemangioma may be associated with Sturge-Weber syndrome. On the other hand, giant hemangiomas appearing in adults may develop intravascular coagulation syndrome (the so-called Kasabach-Merritt syndrome).
Hemangiomas of internal organs, which most often appear in the liver, deserve special attention. They do not give any symptoms and are only noticed during an ultrasound examination. As it begins to resolve, pain, fever, or thrombosis may appear within it. Pain can also be an effect rapid growth of hepatic hemangioma.
Depending on the type of hemangioma its symptoms are:
- squamous hemangioma – these are flat lesions with a distinct rim, initially bright red and darkening over time;
- capillary hemangioma – these are soft red lesions, which is why they are called “strawberry nevus”. When pressed, it pales. It appears on the face, neck, legs or torso;
- cavernous hemangioma – appears on the skin, mucous membranes and inside the body. It is a raised lesion of red or cyan red color;
- lymphangioma – it is formed from lymphatic vessels and most often appears on the head and neck. They can rupture and cause hemorrhages into body cavities, resulting in the appearance of dark brown spots and cysts on the skin;
- stellate hemangioma – usually appears on the face and torso. It has a characteristic appearance, because it has a red spot in the center from which the vessels diverge.
In order to prevent the appearance of hemangiomas, you can use specialized cosmetics, eg Vegan chestnut emulsion with pennywort to strengthen blood vessels.
While symptoms of malignant hemangiomas have:
- hemangiosarcoma – most often occurs on the liver, mammary glands, spleen and thyroid gland;
- Kaposi’s sarcoma – can take the form of red or blue bumps mainly on the hands and feet;
- Malignant hemangioma – occurs both on the skin and internal organs, its symptoms include, for example, nosebleeds.
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Are hemangiomas treated?
Hemangiomas are benign changes and therefore usually do not require treatment. Hemangiomas diagnosed in infancy usually disappear by the age of 12. If we are dealing with larger hemangiomas and some clinical symptoms appear, it is best to go to the family doctor. He should refer you to an angiologist or vascular surgeon. Most often, observation and removal of the hemangioma are recommended. Liver hemangiomas should be monitored by ultrasound once a year.
Hemangiomas visible on the skin can be effectively covered up, for example by using the Soothing Day Fluid SPF 15 B-RESPECT Sensilis.
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Hemangiomas – diagnosis
Placing diagnosis in the case of surface hemangiomas it is quite simple and it is not difficult for doctors, because it is enough to look at the resulting lesion. The situation becomes more complicated, however, when we are dealing with angioma on internal organs. When troublesome symptoms appear, an ultrasound scan is performed first, and then the initial diagnosis is confirmed by CT scan with the use of contrast. The test is performed twice before and after the administration of the contrast agent intravenously.
If the doctor is still in doubt, he or she can also perform an MRI or scintigraphy, which gives the best results. Sometimes arteriography is used, which can also be used in the treatment of hepatic hemangiomas. During this procedure, a substance is also administered, which leads to the formation of a blood clot in the lumen of the hemangioma and, consequently, its closure (embolization).
Hemangioma – treatment
Hemangiomas usually disappear with age. Residual changes can be removed with a laser. However, in certain cases, hemangiomas appearing around the orbit, if bleeding is suspected, are treated with glucocorticosteroids. They are administered by injection and systemically (orally and intravenously).
Surgical treatment of hemangiomas it is rarely used and mainly affects very large hemangiomas that do not respond to glucocorticoids. In front of hemangioma surgery is also performed hemangioma embolization. Surgical treatment is used in the case of:
- angiomas larger than 10 cm;
- emerging clinical symptoms such as pain and fever;
- thrombotic changes;
- arteriovenous fistulas within the hemangioma;
- rapid growth of lesions;
- pressure on the bile ducts;
- pressure on surrounding organs.
After treatment of internal hemangiomas you should check regularly that no new changes arise. It is also worth remembering that superficial hemangiomas are treated as a cosmetic defect and do not pose a significant health risk. However, to reduce their visibility, it is worth using the Red Syndrome FEEDSKIN Serum for blood vessels, which is available at an attractive price on Medonet Market.