.
Imagine this.
You're a brand new parent, just getting used to having this
perfect little being in your life, when you notice a
prominent bright red patch on your baby's skin.
Now, doctors tell you, it will go away with time.
But you want a little bit more information, more answers, more
peace of mind.
Well, here to tell us more about this infant skin condition, and
a ground-breaking novel treatment is Director of
Dermatology and founder of The Children's Skin Center at Miami
Children's Hospital, Dr. Anna Duarte.
Good morning.
Thank you so much for being here.
It's a pleasure to be here, thank you.
I've heard about this condition, I actually studied it while I
was in school.
It's commonly called this strawberry mark, right?
Yes.
Tell me more about this.
It's called an infantile hemangioma, and it's a very
common tumor of infancy.
It's caused by an overgrowth of blood vessels on or just
underneath the skin.
It's commonly present on the face, on the neck and on the
scalp of babies, however, it can occur anywhere on the body.
It happens over the first few weeks.
The mother may notice a very subtle patch, a pink patch, or
even sometimes a little white spot.
It's called a precursor lesion, and that's all they'll see, and
then suddenly it starts to grow.
Alright, so how common or rare are these tumors?
Very common.
It's the most common vascular tumor of infancy.
One out of every 10 infants will be born with a hemangioma of
infancy.
Now you mention the word benign, so can they get dangerous?
Hemangiomas, if they involve a vital structure, such as the
eye, the nose, the mouth, can interfere with vision
permanently causing visual impairment, breathing, feeding,
which are all key to a babies survival.
They can also ulcerate, be very painful, cause permanent
scarring and disfigurement.
A couple more questions.
Specific demographic?
More common in girls and more common in Caucasians, premature
babies, twins, babies of low-birthweight, babies of moms
who have undergone fertility treatments, and babies whose
moms are getting a little bit older in age.
Is it hereditary?
It's not thought to be hereditary.
Now again, I understand until recently a lot off doctors would
say "oh let's watch, let's wait, and let's see."
That's not the best approach, is it?
It's an approach that we're moving away from, because of all
the sequela, all the problems that can occur in that watch and
wait period.
Yes, they are benign.
They will go away over nine years, but in that period of
time, a third of these lesions on the face can result in
permanent soft tissue damage and also 70% over the body permanent
scarring.
I have seen patients with severe scarring on the face, and then
you have to undergo a lot of reconstruction.
So, the most important message is early intervention.
Prevent the ulcerations.
Prevent the scarring.
Prevent that permanent soft tissue change.
So, if your baby has a lesion you suspect, maybe a hemangioma
of infancy, definitely call your doctor.
And before this, there was really no FDA approved
treatments out there for this condition, but today, there is,
and I want to talk more about that, because there's a lot of
hope out there for people who have this condition, and when we
come back, we're also going to hear and meet this adorable,
adorable special guest whose life has been changed because of
this new FDA approved treatment.
She is gorgeous.
She's 7-months olds.
You've got to stay tuned and meet this gorgeous little girl.
We'll be right back.
(music).Welcome back to the Balancing Act.
We're rejoined by Dr. Duarte from Miami Children's Hospital,
and what a treat.
As promised, we have with us a very special little guest who
was taking a nap, and I think she's waking up.
Alanis Urbizo is here with her dad Ahmed, and her mom Anna.
Good morning, thank you so much for being here.
Good morning.
Oh my gosh, she is so pretty.
Hi mama.
Remember me?
Yes, you do!
Look at this smile.
I even got a smile in the morning.
She wakes up smiling.
Ahmed, let me ask you a question, tell me when you first
noticed the hemangioma on her arm, which I can see there.
Yes, I think it was the second day.
The second day she was born?
The second day she was born.
It was, I mean, it was almost invisible.
It was just a little larger than normal.
But you saw something?
Yes.
But I also know, when I was talking to your wife, she was
explaining to me that it was a little hard to put clothes over
her arm.
That it would be a little bit uncomfortable for her.
Can you tell me about that?
Yeah, it was, because I think the skin in that part was
sensitive.
It bothered her.
Exactly, it bothered her.
We preferred cutting the sleeves out.
Now I know, Ahmed and Anna, you took her immediately to Dr.
Duarte.
Dr. Duarte, when you saw her, did you immediately give them a
diagnosis of what it was?
I did.
It was a hemangioma of infancy, which is what we're talking
about and it was quite large, and so I had her evaluated right
away to start her on the Hemangiol.
The propranalol hydrochloride.
And that's what I want to talk about now, if we may.
Because it's an FDA approved treatment, and it's making such
a difference.
Let's talk about it.
What's the name again, and how was it discovered?
It's called Hemangiol, which is propranolol hydrochloride.
It was actually discovered in France.
It's a great story.
A physician treating a patient who had a cardiac condition, and
a large hemangioma on her face, started the patient on a
beta-blocker, propranalol for the cardiac issues and she
started to notice the hemangioma started to melt away.
So, she made that observation, and she approached Pierre Fabre,
the company which has developed Hemangiol, the propranalol
hydrochloride.
They did the clinical trials.
Found to be safe and effective in the treatment of this
condition, and make a long story short, it was FDA approved last
year, in March.
Wow.
And how is this one different than say other treatments,
doctor?
Well, this was designed specially for babies.
It's alcohol free, paraben free, and sugar free, and it's not a
steroid, so it's win-win.
It's a real game changer in the treatment of hemangiomas.
Ahmed, when the doctor put your daughter on this FDA approved
treatment, did you notice a difference immediately?
It was a huge improvement.
I mean it was day after day, you noticed, especially the exterior
parts, it started to like, you know, lighten.
The skin was changing the color.
It was going back to normal.
The clinical trial showed that 6 out of 10 patients, by six
months of treatment will have total or near total resolution.
Wow, that's amazing!
Doctor, for families out there that maybe are getting this
diagnosis today, is there a support group out there that
they can reach out to?
Absolutely.
There are a couple of organizations that are
excellent.
The vascular birthmark foundation, as well as NOVA,
which is the national Organization for Vascular
Anomalies.
Doctor, the website for the product?
Hemangiol.com Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for sharing your story.
God bless both of you.
And you!
(babbling to baby).
You'll find all this information on infantile hemangioma on
our website TheBalancingAct.com
TheBalancingAct.com Don't forget, also we're on Facebook
and Twitter.
Hemangiol should not be given to children with certain
conditions.
Talk to your doctor if Hemangiol is right for your child.
Hemangiol can cause serious side effects, including low blood
sugar, especially if your child is not feeding or vomiting.
Know the signs and symptoms of low blood sugar.
Other serious side effects can include new or worsening slow
heart rate or low blood pressure, breathing problems or
wheezing.
Hemangiol may increase the risk of stroke in certain children
who have severe problems with the blood vessels in their
brain.
The most common side effects include sleep problems,
worsening respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, and
vomiting.
These are not all the possible side effects of Hemangiol.
For more information about Hemangiol, please talk to your
doctor or visit Hemangiol.com
(music).