Guido Filler
Background: The most frequent benign, self-limiting tumour in children is infantile hemangioma. Hemangiomas that impede critical structures or cause considerable deformity are treated. Corticosteroids have always been the preferred medical treatment. Propranolol, on the other hand, has been widely accepted as an effective pharmaceutical treatment for infantile hemangioma since 2008. There are presently no published data on propranolol's long-term negative effects. Objective: The purpose of this study was to look at the long-term effects of propranolol and corticosteroids on anthropometric parameters (height, BMI) and blood pressure in children. Methods: Between October 2007 and February 2012, the authors conducted a prospective database analysis of all infantile hemangioma patient visits to the pediatric vascular abnormalities clinic at the authors' institution. Anthropometric (height and BMI) and blood pressure measurements were examined. Results: A total of 290 visits to the pediatric vascular abnormalities clinic (119 individuals) were examined. 18 of the patients were treated medically, and their anthropometry was measured. Patients using corticosteroids had a substantially higher BMI percentile (P=0.0039). Treatment with corticosteroids also resulted in a significant reduction in height percentile (P=0.0078). Anthropometric parameters in children treated with propranolol did not cross percentiles. The propranolol group had a substantial drop in systolic blood pressure (P=0.03), although no hypotensive values were detected. Patients who administered propranolol had a considerably longer median treatment duration (372 days vs. 133 days; P=0.0033). Conclusion: Propranolol, when used to treat infantile vascular anomalies, does not have the same negative effects on patient anthropometry as corticosteroids, although it does require a longer treatment period
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