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Neurodevelopmental Effects of Propranolol Treatment During Infancy in Infantile Hemangioma Patients
Cenk Baykan1, Melike Mete Çiftseven2, Gonca Keskindemirci2,3
1Department of Child Health and Diseases, Istanbul Medical Faculty, İstanbul University, 34104 Istanbul, Turkey.
Insights
This study found no significant neurodevelopmental side effects of propranolol in infants with hemangiomas. Motor function differences observed were not attributed to propranolol treatment itself.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Neurology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Infantile hemangiomas (IH) are common vascular tumors in infants.
- Propranolol is a first-line treatment for IH, but its long-term neurodevelopmental effects require further investigation.
- Understanding potential side effects is crucial for optimizing IH management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants treated with propranolol for IH.
- To compare neurodevelopmental levels between propranolol-treated IH patients, untreated IH patients, and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- A single-center, cross-sectional study included 102 children: 40 treated with propranolol for IH, 31 untreated IH patients, and 31 healthy controls.
- Neurodevelopmental assessment was performed using the Bayley-III test.
- Demographic, clinical, perinatal, and postnatal data were collected.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in cognitive, language, or social-emotional skills were observed among the groups.
- Significant differences in motor functions were found between the healthy control group and both the propranolol-treated and untreated IH groups (p=0.006).
- Maternal education level was associated with cognitive, language, and motor functions; paternal education was associated with cognitive functions.
Conclusions:
- Propranolol treatment for infantile hemangiomas did not demonstrate significant adverse effects on neurodevelopment in this study.
- Observed motor function differences were not solely attributable to propranolol, suggesting other factors may be involved.
- Propranolol remains a relatively safe treatment option for infantile hemangiomas regarding neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Introduction And Aim:
Propranolol is an effective treatment option for infantile hemangiomas, but there is still insufficient information about neurodevelopmental side effects of propranolol. In our study, the neurodevelopmental levels of infantile hemangioma patients receiving propranolol treatment were examined using the Bayley-III test.
Method:
In our single-center, cross-sectional study, patients were recruited between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2023. In total, 40 children (n1) diagnosed with hemangioma who received propranolol treatment and 31 children (n2) who were only under observation were included. A control group of 31 healthy children (n3) matched for age and gender was also included. The demographic, clinical, perinatal, and postnatal characteristics of the total 102 children were recorded from their medical records. Neurodevelopmental levels were assessed with the Bayley-III test. The significance level was set at (p < 0.05).
Results:
The Bayley-III test composite and percentile scores were used to evaluate the neurodevelopmental levels. Significant differences in motor functions were found between the treated and untreated groups compared to the healthy control group (p = 0.006 and p = 0.006). However, no significant differences were found in cognitive, language, and social-emotional skills. Cognitive, language, and motor functions were associated with maternal education level, and additionally, cognitive functions were also associated with paternal education level.
Conclusions:
Propranolol has a relatively safer side effect profile, and therefore, it has been described as a safe agent. In our study, no significant effect of propranolol on neurodevelopment was observed. The difference in motor skills shown was mainly between the healthy control group (n3) and the treated and untreated group (n1 and n2), which led to the conclusion that the relevant difference could be due to factors other than propranolol itself.
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