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Effectiveness Oral Theophylline, Piracetam, and Iron Treatments in Children With Simple Breath-Holding Spells

Alper I Dai1, Abdullah T Demiryürek2

  • 1Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Neurology, University of Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey.

Journal of Child Neurology
|September 11, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Theophylline and iron treatments significantly reduced breath-holding spells (BHS) in children. Theophylline showed the highest effectiveness in decreasing spell frequency and improving caregiver satisfaction.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Breath-holding spells (BHS) are frequent nonepileptic events in children.
  • Simple BHS management often lacks clear treatment guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the efficacy of oral theophylline, piracetam, and iron in managing simple BHS in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of 146 children with simple BHS.
  • Four groups: no treatment, theophylline, piracetam, and iron (for anemia).
  • Evaluations included neurological, cardiological, and biochemical assessments.

Main Results:

  • Theophylline (82.9%) and iron (58.8%) treatments markedly decreased BHS frequency.
  • Piracetam and the non-treated groups showed minimal reduction (8.8% and 4.7%).
  • Parental satisfaction was significantly higher with theophylline treatment (P < .001).

Conclusions:

  • Theophylline is the most effective treatment for reducing the frequency of simple BHS in children.
  • Iron therapy is beneficial for children with BHS and iron deficiency anemia.
  • Piracetam showed no significant benefit in this study population.

Keywords:
childrenoutcomepediatricquality of lifetreatment

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