Propranolol for hemangiomas doesn't impair infant growth

Propranolol for hemangiomas doesn't impair infant growth

(HealthDay)—For infantile hemangiomas, systemic propranolol appears safe and does not impair physical growth, according to a study published online March 6 in the Journal of Dermatology.

Li Hu, from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and colleagues examined complications associated with systemic propranolol therapy for . Propranolol was given at 2 mg/kg per day. During therapy, abnormal symptoms and growth parameters were recorded; 76 patients with complete growth parameters were included in the study. Patients were followed at least through age 2 years.

The researchers identified minor complications of propranolol, including sleeping disorders, diarrhea, decrease in fasting glucose, bronchial hyperactivity, and hyperkalemia. During , four (5.26 percent) patients' growth curves dropped off more than 20 percentiles; after medication withdrawal half returned to normal. When medication was stopped, none of the suffered from underweight, wasting, or stunning.

"Systemic propranolol was proved to be a safe treatment for problematic infantile hemangiomas and did not affect the physical growth," the authors write.

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