Infantile hemangioma incidence up over past three decades

(HealthDay)—The incidence of infantile hemangiomas (IH) has increased over the past three decades, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Katelyn R. Anderson, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues identified infants residing in Olmsted County, Minn., who were diagnosed with IH between Jan. 1, 1976, and Dec. 31, 2010, using data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project. Overall, 999 infants were diagnosed with IH.

The researchers found that over the three-decade study period, the incidence of IH increased from 0.97 to 1.97 per 100 person-years (P < 0.001). Over the study period there was a decrease in average gestational age at birth (39.2 to 38.3 weeks; P < 0.001) and in birth weight (3,383 to 3,185 g; P = 0.003) among infants with IH. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence of IH was 1.64 per 100 person-years overall.

"This study provides a longitudinal, population-based incidence of IH," the authors write. "Incidence has increased steadily over the past three decades, correlating significantly with decreasing gestational age at birth and birth weight in affected infants."