Comparison of Infantile Hemangiomas in Male and Female Infants: A Prospective Study

Infantile hemangioma (IH) predominantly occurs in females, yet few studies have compared the clinical characteristics of IH between girls and boys. This study compared the clinical characteristics of females and males with IH. This prospective study included 1016 patients with IHs for whom complete clinical data were available. A total of 701 female and 315 male patients with IH were enrolled in this study. Male patients presented a high incidence of superficial IH (73.97% in boys vs. 68.62% in girls, p = 0.084) and localized IH (90.48% in boys vs. 81.60% in girls, p < 0.001), whereas female patients were more likely to have segmental IH (11.41% in girls vs. 5.08% in boys, p = 0.001). The incidence of IH rebound after oral propranolol was somewhat more likely to occur in females than in males (11.86% vs. 5.15%, p = 0.063). For superficial IH, ulcers developed in 4.78% of female patients compared with 1.72% of male patients (p = 0.044). In this prospective study, we identified new sex differences in the clinical characteristics of IH. Localized and superficial IHs were more common in males. Females were more prone to developing ulcers in superficial IHs and experiencing IH rebound after treatment with propranolol.

Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03331744