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The effectiveness of propranolol in treating infantile haemangiomas: a meta‐analysis including 35 studies
Author(s) -
Lou Yin,
Peng Wenjia,
Cao Yi,
Cao Dongsheng,
Xie Juan,
Li Honghong
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
british journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.216
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1365-2125
pISSN - 0306-5251
DOI - 10.1111/bcp.12235
Subject(s) - medicine , propranolol , meta analysis , odds ratio , cochrane library , confidence interval , infantile hemangioma , gastroenterology
Aims Propranolol may have shown excellent results as a first line therapy in infantile haemangiomas ( IHs ) at all sites in the body, but this conclusion remains controversial. In an attempt to resolve this issue, we performed a meta‐analysis. Methods A search of the literature using PubMed , MEDLINE , C ochrane L ibrary databases and C hina National Knowledge Infrastructure ( CNKI ) was performed to identify studies which estimated the efficacy of propranolol therapy in infants with haemangiomas all sites of the body. The pooled odds ratio ( OR ) along with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals ( CI ) were assessed using a fixed effects model. Results Thirty‐five studies involving 324 infantile haemangioma( IH ) patients and 248 controls were retrieved and analyzed. The efficacy of propranolol was greater than other therapies in treating IHs ( OR = 9.67, 95% CI 6.62, 14.12, P < 0.001). In a stratified analysis by sites of tumour, propranolol was a more effective therapy when compared with steroids ( OR = 9.67, 95% CI 6.61, 14.15, P < 0.001), vincristine ( OR = 9.00, 95% CI 2.15, 37.66, P = 0.003) and laser treatment ( OR = 9.00, 95% CI 1.42, 57.12, P = 0.020) in treating cutaneous IHs ( OR = 24.95, 95% CI 9.48, 65.64, P < 0.001), peri‐ocular IHs ( OR = 9.39, 95% CI 3.88, 22.71, P < 0.001), infantile airway haemangiomas ( OR = 20.91, 95% CI 7.81, 55.96, P < 0.001) and infantile hepatic haemangiomas ( OR = 9.89, 95% CI 1.20, 81.54, P = 0.033). Conclusion The current meta‐analysis provided strong evidence for propranolol as a first line therapy for IHs.