Vitamin A supplementation endorsed by meta-analysis.
Deaths from infectious disease are rare in high income countries. However, in middle and low income countries millions of children die every year from infectious diseases such as diarrhoea. A large meta-analysis published in the BMJ provides robust evidence for the use of Vitamin A supplementation to reduce these deaths.
A 16 month old girl is brought to a general practice clinic due to constipation. During the examination this raised skin lesion was seen above the left buttock.
The rasied lesion on the girl's back.
Q1. What is the diagnosis?
Q2. What treatment should be offered?
(Capillary) Haemangioma.
None for a haemangioma in this anatomical site.
This is a haemangioma (often called a strawberry naevus). These are not usually present at birth but develop in the first few weeks or months of life. They initially increase in size until 8 - 12 months and then regress. By school age most will have completely resolved. As there is spontaneous resolution of these lesions no treatment is usually required. The exception is for cases where the position of the haemangioma causes functional problems - for example, if the lesion obscures the visual axis, treatment would be needed to allow normal visual development..
