Telangiectasia

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Angioma serpiginosum

Telangiectasia - legs

Telangiectasias - upper arm

Overview

Treatment

Telangiectasia

Definition:

Telangiectasias are abnormally dilated blood vessels associated with a number of diseases.

Alternative Names:

Vascular ectasias

Considerations:

Telangiectasias may develop anywhere within the body but can be easily seen in the skin, mucous membranes, and whites of the eyes. Usually, they do not cause symptoms. However, some telangiectasias bleed readily and cause significant problems. Telangiectasias may also occur in the brain and cause major problems from bleeding.

Common Causes:

Facial telangiectasia associated with age, sun exposure, or alcohol use
Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome)
Ataxia - telangiectasia
Spider angioma
Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita (an inherited disorder)
Bloom syndrome
Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome
Sturge-Weber disease
Xeroderma pigmentosa
Nevus flammeus such as port-wine stain

Review Date: 7/22/2005
Reviewed By: Jonathan Kantor, M.D., Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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