Curative effect and safety of propranolol combined with prednisone in the treatment of infantile hemangiomas

The object of this study was to analyze the curative effect and safety of propranolol combined with prednisone in the treatment of infantile hemangiomas (IHs). Forty-four children with IHs on the head and face at the proliferative phase admitted to Jinan Center Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University were randomly divided into two groups. Children in group A took orally propranolol 2 mg/kg/day in three divided doses combined with prednisone 2 mg/kg/day in two divided doses in the first two weeks; children in group B took orally propranolol alone, and the dose was the same as that in group A. The treatment time of the two groups was up to 6 months, and the clinical curative effect and the incidence rate of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. In the comparison of the curative effect between two groups of children with the tumor size decrease as the evaluation index, the total effective rate of group A was 100%, which was better than that of group B (81.82%), and the results were significantly different (P<0.05). In the same comparison with the surface of hemangiomas becoming flat and the color becoming light as evaluation indexes, the total effective rates of group A were 95.45 and 100%, which was not significantly different (P>0.05) compared with those of group B (86.36 and 77.27%) with a significant difference. The treatment in group A was superior to that in group B in terms of the curative effect on IH children younger than 6 months and was effective for different types of IHs. In group A, adverse reactions included loss of appetite (n=1) and bronchial and upper respiratory tract infections (n=1); in group B, adverse reactions included crying at night (n=1), lowered heart rate (n=1) and loss of appetite (n=2). The incidence rate of adverse reactions was compared between the two groups, and the difference was not significant (P>0.05), indicating that the combination therapy did not aggravate adverse reactions, and adverse reactions in the two groups were less and not severe. In the treatment of IHs, propranolol combined with prednisone can significantly reduce the tumor volume at the proliferative phase and significantly improve the tumor color with a low incidence rate of adverse reactions in a mild degree. Children have high tolerance to this treatment method, and the treatment method is highly safe and of great significance in clinical practice.