Hemangioma is a non-cancerous growth of blood vessels. It is a red colored mass made up of blood vessels. It may occur at any part of the body. It is on-cancerous and rarely transforms in to cancer. Although the exact cause is not known; Hemangiomas are formed due to malformed blood vascular system. Complications generally depend upon the location where hemangioma is developed. In certain instances, hemangioma may be genetic.
When the blood vessels outgrow, they form a mass outside the body. This mass of blood vessels is known as hemangioma. It is a non-cancerous growth of vessels and does not require any medical intervention except in cases where it is life threatening or there are some cosmetic problems due to disfigurement. Hemangioma can be found anywhere in the body but generally they are found on head, neck and face.
Is Hemangioma Genetic?
There is no clear indication as to how hemangioma is caused. The hemangiomas are known to be sporadic i.e. they usually form out of chance. However, according to certain studies there is some hereditary factor involved. Further, infants with low birth weight are the strongest risk factor for occurrence of hemangioma. Although the genetic connection of hemangioma is an arguable fact, but evidence does exits to show that some hemangiomas are hereditary. In a research, there is reported a two-fold increase in the incidence of hemangioma whose sibling is also affected with hemangioma.
It has been found that in cases where it is genetic, the occurrence is through autosomal dominant transmission. Further, it has also been found that the infants with sporadic hemangioma has less discomfort and low degree of severity as compared to the infant having hemangioma to a close relative. It is found that significant number of patients with hemangioma has a family history. Also, the parents are unaware as they had once suffered from hemangioma and now it is disappeared. Sometimes, the other relative of the child find out that there was mild expression of the gene which was unknown to them.
What Are The Types Of Hemangioma?
Depending upon the type of blood vessel involved in the development of hemangioma, it has the following types:
Capillary Hemangioma: It is caused when the thin blood capillaries grow and forms a mass.
Cavernous Hemangioma: When the large blood vessels grow and forms tumor like structure, it is cavernous hemangioma. As they are slightly deep seated as compared to capillary hemangioma, the color contains a slight bluish tint.
Compound Hemangioma: When both capillaries and large vessels forms hemangioma, it is compound hemangioma.
What Are The Reasons For Hemangioma?
The exact reason of hemangioma is not known, but it may be due to distorted develop of the blood vessels in the fetus. Sometimes the hemangioma is also caused by injury. Further, there are certain hemangiomas that are formed in a particular condition and disappeared when the condition subsides such as pregnancy.
What Are The Complications With Hemangioma?
Generally, hemangiomas are painless and does not cause discomfort to the patients. However, in certain conditions, hemangioma became life-threatening to fatal depending upon the area where they are developing. If there is hemangioma in the lugs, breathing may be severely impacted. Further, any hemangioma on the eyes may put a pressure on the cornea and may harm the vision. Sometimes, the there is an ulcer and bleeding from the hemangioma making it susceptible to the infections.
Conclusion
A non-cancerous growth of blood vessels on the various regions of the body is known as hemangioma. As the tumor is benign, medical intervention is not required. Whether hemangioma is hereditary is surrounded by for and against. However, certain researchers have found that hereditary also has a role to play in the development of hemangioma. It is expressed in the form of an autosomal dominant gene, if the cause is hereditary. But generally, the hemangioma is sporadic.
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