Port-Wine Stains and Hemangiomas: Do They Run in Families?

Port-wine stains occur in 0.3% of the population and superficial (strawberry) hemangiomas are thought to occur in up to 10% of newborns, but neither is considered a heritable condition. To determine the prevalence of port-wine stains and superficial hemangiomas in family members, investigators from a regional laser center in Wales examined the family histories of 283 consecutive patients with port-wine stains. Seventy-two patients (25%) had a positive family history of birthmarks: 22 had a family history of port-wine stains, 20 of superficial hemangiomas, 7 of brown birthmarks, and 3 had a combination of vascular and brown birthmarks; 20 of the 72 patients weren't sure what type of birthmarks ran in the family.