Effects of Propranolol on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Patients with Infantile Hemangioma: A Case-Control Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric medicine
• Developmental pediatrics
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are common benign vascular tumors in infants.
• Problematic IHs can lead to functional, aesthetic, or medical complications.
• Oral propranolol is a first-line treatment for IHs, but its long-term neurodevelopmental effects require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the neurodevelopmental outcomes in young children treated with oral propranolol for problematic infantile hemangiomas (IHs).
• To compare neurodevelopmental trajectories between children with IHs treated with propranolol and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 36 children with problematic IHs treated with oral propranolol and 34 healthy controls.
• Neurodevelopmental outcomes assessed using Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) after at least 3 months of propranolol therapy.
• Statistical comparison of GDS domain scores between the propranolol-treated group and the control group.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in developmental quotient (DQ) were observed across any of the five GDS domains between children treated with propranolol and healthy controls.
• Regression analyses indicated that neither gender nor age influenced neurodevelopmental outcomes in the control group.
• In the patient group, factors such as gender, age at therapy initiation, age at testing, and treatment duration did not significantly affect GDS domain scores.

Conclusions:

• Oral propranolol treatment does not appear to have an adverse effect on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of children with infantile hemangiomas.
• Early initiation and adequate duration of propranolol therapy for IHs are safe concerning central nervous system (CNS) development.