Older port wine stain patients prone to hypertrophy

Amsterdam - Hypertrophy is frequently reported in older patients who have port wine stains, a Dutch study indicates.

A research team from the University of Amsterdam retrospectively analyzed medical records and clinical photographs of 335 patients with port wine stains who had visited the university clinic between 2005 and 2009. The patients, 69 percent of whom were female, responded to a questionnaire regarding hypertrophic port wine stains, HealthDay News reports.

Researchers identified hypertrophy in 20 percent of the patients. Of the patients over age 50, 71 percent had hypertrophy in their skin condition. Only 7 percent of those with hypertrophy were under age 20. Hypertrophy was reported in 68 percent of patients who were at least 40. The median age of hypertrophy onset was 31 - 12 years for thickened hypertrophy and 39 years for nodular hypertrophy.

The condition was classified as thickened in 5 percent, nodular in 8 percent and as both in 7 percent. The color of hypertrophic port wine stains was mainly red or purple (50 and 44 percent, respectively). The study abstract indicated depth of color of the port wine stain was associated with hypertrophy, while location and size appeared to be unrelated to hypertrophy.

“Patients should be informed about the natural course of PWS (port wine stains), and more attention needs to be drawn to therapy and prevention of hypertrophic PWS,” the study authors wrote.

The study was published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

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