Factors related to response to propranolol treatment for infantile hemangiomas: a cross-sectional study on a Moroccan population.

Background: There is no consensus on the optimal duration of propranolol treatment in complicated infantile hemangiomas (IHs), and factors related to its response have not yet been addressed, especially as it relates to the northern Moroccan region. Aim: We analyze the factors of good response of IH to propranolol treatment in a Moroccan population; thus, this study is the first to consider an undeveloped country. Methods: A descriptive and analytic study was conducted for 9 years in our department. The following parameters were analyzed: epidemiologic, therapeutic, and progressive, as well as the factors responsible for therapeutic response. Results: Propranolol treatment for 153 cases of IH was completed. With an average age of 7.9 months, a tuberous form was found in 50.3% of the cases, with 58.1% located on the face. Side effects were minor, and response was good to excellent in 95.6% of the cases. In a univariate analysis, children over 12 months and those with mixed hemangioma, as compared with those with a tuberous form, were less likely to exhibit an excellent response (OR = 0.18 with a 95% CI = 0.03-0.68; and OR = 0.80 with a 95% CI = 0.68-0.94). Excellent response was more prevalent in children treated for more than 6 months (47.8% vs. 11.8%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our study proves the safety and efficacity of propranolol as a treatment of IH. Excellent response was very much correlated with age, clinical form of IH, and the duration of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]