Treatment with Botulinum toxin A in a total population of children with cerebral palsy - a retrospective cohort registry study

BACKGROUND: Botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) has been used to reduce spasticity in children with cerebral palsy (CP) for decades. The purpose of this study was to analyze to what extent BTX-A treatment was used to treat spasticity in a total population of children with CP. We investigated 1) the use of BTX-A in relation to age, sex, and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level, 2) the most common muscle groups treated with BTX-A in relation to the same variables, and 3) changes in the proportions of children treated with BTX-A between two time points (2010 and 2015). METHODS: The study was based on data from CPUP, a combined Swedish follow-up program and national healthcare registry, comprising >95% of all children with CP in Sweden. The participants (N = 3028) were born in 2000 or later. Potential BTX-A treatment and treated muscle groups were included from all CPUP assessments recorded in the registry in 2014–2015. In Aim 3, BTX-A administration in 3–5 year-olds at two time points was assessed. Crosstabs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for binominal proportions were calculated and logistic regression was used to regress age, sex, and GMFCS level on BTX-A treatment. Muscle groups treated with BTX-A were assessed using crosstabs and 95% CIs. Proportional change in BTX-A treatment over a 5-year period was analyzed using chi-square. RESULTS: We included 3028 children (57% boys; median age 7 years) of whom 26% received BTX-A. Significantly more boys (28%) than girls (23%) received BTX-A (OR = 1.25, [95% CI 1.05–1.48]). Significant differences were found for age and GMFCS levels; 4–6 year-olds and those at GMFCS III-IV were more likely to receive BTX-A. BTX-A treatment in the gastrocnemius muscle was most common in the 4–6 year-olds and at GMFCS I-III, whereas treatment of the hamstring and adductor muscles was more common in older children and at GMFCS IV-V. No significant change in the proportion of BTX-A administered in 2010 and 2015 was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: BTX-A treatment differed based on age, sex, and GMFCS level. Proportion of BTX-A treatment in Sweden has remained stable during the past five years. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12891-017-1880-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.