How Safe Is Propranolol for Treating Infantile Hemangiomas? :

Propranolol is a popular treatment for infantile hemangiomas, but how safe is it? Droitcourt et al. (10.1542/peds.2017-3783) looked into this question by studying a French nationwide cohort of children under 3 who received propranolol for infantile hemangiomas between 2014 and 2016.  They compared hospitalizations of those with underlying illness (largely congenital heart disease) and hemangiomas with those without underlying illnesses and hemangiomas.  Of the 1,484 healthy children studied, the standardized morbidity ratios (SMR) were low and involved only 2 cardiovascular events, 51 respiratory events (bronchospasm and hyperreactivity of the airway), and 3 metabolic events (hypoglycemia and hyperkalemia).  The cardiovascular events were much higher in those with underlying disease (11 cardiovascular events) but no difference was noted in respiratory or metabolic events.  The authors conclude that propranolol is safe for infantile hemangiomas. Do you agree?  Have you had success using propranolol to treat hemangiomas in infants? Have you had any adverse events in using this drug in your young patients with hemangiomas? Share your experience with us by responding to this blog, commenting on our website or posting your thoughts on our Facebook or Twitter pages.