After the birth of a child, young mothers have a lot of worries, but even more worries about the he alth of the baby. And when an ugly red spot is found on the smooth, clean skin of a baby, many begin to panic. To the touch, it is defined as a thickening on the skin of an implicitly defined shape.
There is another scenario, when at birth neoplasms are just inconspicuous spots or a light pink blot. But in the first six months they rapidly develop to a rather large tumor.
If, when you click on such a spot, it first turns pale, and then becomes even more engorged, know that your child has a capillary hemangioma. In order to understand what to do next - ring all the bells or calm down and wait for the problem to resolve itself - you need to figure out how the hemangioma threatens the child's he alth.
What is a hemangioma?
Capillary hemangioma is a clot of dilated vessels, between whichthere are also cavities filled with blood. Most often, this formation occurs on the head or neck and has a superficial location. But there is also an internal hemangioma, which can be located on organs with a good blood supply, such as the liver, brain, kidneys, and others.
In fact, this is a tumor, fortunately, benign, which can both dissolve on its own and develop into a large formation that threatens the he alth of the child. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor its condition throughout its existence.
Capillary hemangioma in newborns can begin to develop even in utero, and then the baby is already born with a neoplasm. Or it may appear in the first three months after birth. For the first six months, the tumor develops rapidly, sometimes reaching a fairly large size, after which its growth slows down. In most cases, after a year, the reverse process begins, leading to the complete or partial disappearance of education.
The greatest danger are tumors located on the internal organs, such as capillary hemangioma of the liver and brain.
Hemangioma on the skin
Capillary hemangioma in newborns on the skin, if it does not interfere with the normal life of the child, as a rule, is not treated in the first years, but only observed.
Regular hemangioma consists of capillaries in the dermis and does not extend to the underlying layers of the skin. Don't worry too soon if educationIt is small in size and pale red in color. As a rule, such tumors resolve without a trace up to 5-7 years, and most often even earlier. In rare cases, a capillary hemangioma can last until puberty and become discolored or disappear completely during a hormonal surge.
Cases requiring medical attention
Pay close attention to the disease in the following cases:
- If the capillary hemangioma (photo below) begins to bleed and cause discomfort to the child.
- Too active growth of the tumor is noted, which begins to spread to neighboring areas of the skin.
- If a hemangioma interferes with unimpeded breathing, eating or swallowing, even if it is of a permanent size, it is imperative to consult a doctor for treatment. The same applies to cases with swelling on the eyelids, ears or lips.
- Rarely, but there are cases when a capillary hemangioma in a child is located in the groin or armpits, that is, in places where it experiences constant friction. This can lead to damage to it, and, accordingly, bleeding, therefore, with this variant of the disease, timely treatment is also necessary.
Tumor on internal organs
Capillary hemangioma of the liver is an extremely dangerous formation, as it has no external manifestations or symptoms. However, the consequences of its rupture can be fatal. As a rule, hemangioma is detected by accidental diagnosis of another disease.
In the spleen, a neoplasm is quite rare, but its rupture can also lead to unpleasant consequences. In rare cases, pain in the left hypochondrium can signal its existence.
Capillary-cavernous hemangioma in different parts of the brain can lead to unreasonable headaches, sleep disturbances and anxiety. The rupture of such a tumor causes cerebral hemorrhage, which leads to death.
Hemangioma is dangerous not only in cases where it poses a threat to life, but also if it significantly interferes with the normal functioning of the body. Neoplasms on the nasal mucosa, eyelid, ear can lead to disruption of these organs.
Diagnosis of neoplasms
Capillary hemangioma of the skin is determined by visual examination. If at birth it looks like a small dot on the body of a child, then after a couple of months it can be a rather large protruding spot with a smooth surface. If you look at it closely, you can see a pattern resembling a spider vein.
The main feature is the change in color from bright to pale when pressed. This can be done by the parents themselves, but to determine the diagnosis, the child must be examined by a doctor. Cases when capillary hemangioma is combined with cavernous, which is more dangerous to he alth, are quite common.
Also in appearance, capillary hemangioma can be confused with less harmless skin diseases such as squamous cell carcinoma or cyst. Therefore relystill not worth your own opinion.
Capillary hemangioma on the internal organs in most cases is detected during an examination for another disease, since it usually does not give obvious symptoms. Various pain sensations may appear, but, of course, it is impossible to associate them with the presence of a hemangioma on a particular organ without a preliminary examination.
How dangerous is a hemangioma?
Capillary hemangioma is most often a cosmetic defect that disappears after a certain period of time. But in cases of incomplete oppression, such a defect in appearance, especially on visible parts of the body, can lead to psychological problems.
The presence of a neoplasm contributes to the appearance of a significant number of blood clots. Then, if the tumor is large enough, it leads to poor blood clotting.
Hemangiomas, located in the groin or other areas with increased trauma, are most often damaged, and this is fraught with the appearance of non-healing sores.
Capillary hemangioma can be combined with a cavernous type, while the upper part of the tumor looks like a normal harmless formation, and a more dangerous one can be detected only during a subsequent examination.
How is education treated?
The decision on the need for treatment is made based on the results of monitoring the behavior of the tumor, as well as on the basis of analyzes of the hemangioma. To start, definebelonging to the neoplasm and exclude other diseases. After that, for some time, changes in size, shape and color are recorded and, if indicated, conservative or surgical treatment is prescribed.
In any case, before the beginning of the second month of life, no intervention, including surgery, is undertaken in the development of the tumor. As a rule, operations are carried out at 3, 6 and 12 months. If possible, they try to prescribe treatment with a conservative method, and surgical intervention is used in extreme cases.
Unfortunately, there is no medical method of treatment, the only option is taking hormones, but this method is unacceptable due to the negative impact on the body, especially for children.
Conservative methods for removing hemangioma
For the smallest formations - up to 5 mm - the most gentle method of elimination is used - electrocoagulation. An electric current is applied to the hemangioma, as a result of which the tumor tissue coagulates, forming a crust. Subsequently, it falls off, leaving clear skin.
For small formations, cryotherapy is used. Carbon dioxide snow is applied to the hemangioma, which acts on the tumor, pressing it into the skin. After the procedure, the following metamorphoses occur with the formation: the place swells, then swells with a bubble, then a crust forms, which subsequently falls off.
Alternative ways to eliminate the tumor
For subcutaneous tumors or formations oninternal organs resort to radiation therapy. This method is extremely dangerous for the he alth of newborns, therefore, it is used only in case of emergency and only after reaching six months of age.
There is another way to remove a tumor such as capillary hemangioma. Treatment is with alcohol-based urethane injections. This method is used if the neoplasm is located in a hard-to-reach place, for example, in the auricle or in the oral cavity, or if there are contraindications for surgery.
Recently, a more modern method has appeared, such as laser removal of the tumor. To date, this is the most effective way to solve the problem, which is also used in the case of combined hemangioma.
Surgical removal
With very large tumors, especially if the capillary hemangioma progresses rapidly, surgical excision of the formation is performed. The procedure is quite painful, involving not only the removal of the tumor, but also the transplantation of skin from another part of the body to the site of the operated hemangioma. In addition, a lot of blood is lost during excision, so this method of treatment is prescribed for children only in exceptional cases. At the same time, possible cosmetic flaws after the operation are taken into account.
How to prevent hemangioma?
Unfortunately, today it is impossible to say exactly why such a tumor as a capillary hemangioma is formed: the causes of this trouble have not yet been determined. Specialists can only speculate what triggers might trigger it.
- First of all, prematurity is called, since the appearance of hemangiomas is recorded, as a rule, in such children, and mainly in girls.
- Heredity is also considered an aggravating factor.
- In case of Rh conflict in the mother, which, in principle, provokes many problems.
- Mother's illnesses, such as hormonal imbalances or colds during the development of the baby's cardiovascular system.
- Mother's abuse of alcohol, smoking, and medication.
- Stress during pregnancy.
From heredity, of course, there is no escape, but other factors can be prevented. Of course, there is no 100% guarantee that this disease will not manifest itself, but in any case, such prevention will definitely benefit both your well-being and the he alth of the child.
