The hemangioma consists of a uncontrolled growth of the cells that form blood vessels. Actually, they can be considered benign tumors. 80% of hemangiomas are cutaneous and consist of raised reddish spots on the skin. It is quite frequent in children. Most are benign and have no impact. If they appear in other locations such as the liver, it is when complications may arise.
They often occur at the same time of birth, and other times they form in the first months of life. They have a first phase of rapid growth in which their volume and size increase rapidly, followed by a rest period, in which the hemangioma changes very little, and an involution phase in which it begins to disappear. They require frequent control by the pediatrician, the color and size of the spot. Most disappear over time.
Until now, the causes of its formation were unknown. But a group of Spanish doctors and researchers from the La Paz Hospital in Madrid, led by the hemangiomas specialist, Juan Carlos López Guitiérrez, have discovered a possible relationship between maternal factors during pregnancy and the development of hemangiomas in the fetus.
It is believed that the lack of oxygen in the placenta during the first months of pregnancy could cause alterations in the placental circulation. This in turn is related to factors in maternal history during pregnancy, such as in vitro fertilization and twin births. In turn, it has been seen that the more premature the baby is, the more likely it is to develop a hemangioma, so 25% of premature babies will develop it. In conclusion, it is hypoxia or lack of oxygen in blood vessel cells that would proliferate them without control.
There are many other factors that remain to be discovered about the formation of these lesions. The problem arises in the difficulty of studying them in the fetus. For now, research will continue using laboratory animals such as mice.
