[A multicenter study on treatment of autonomous nerve-mediated syncope in children with beta-receptor blocker].
OBJECTIVE
Syncope is a common pediatric emergency. Based on an epidemiologic survey in the USA, around 15% of children experienced syncopal attack, which strongly influenced the life, study and hurt the children mentally and physiologically. Therefore, exploring the therapeutic regimen has become a hot topic in the field of pediatric cardiology. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of beta receptor blocker in the treatment of children with autonomous nerve mediated syncope.


METHODS
Totally 103 children (43 males, 60 females, age 5 - 19 yrs, median 12.0 +/- 2.6 yrs) with autonomous nerve mediated syncope from Beijing, Hunan, Hubei and Shanghai, were included in this study. Forty-nine of them suffered from vasovagal syncope (VVS) and 54 suffered from postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). They were randomly divided into treatment group accepting oral metoprolol treatment and control group accepting oral rehydration salt treatment. The frequency of syncopal episodes and the outcome of head-up tilt (HUT) test were observed. SPSS 10.0 software was used for the statistical analysis of these data.


RESULTS
The cure rate of children who suffered from VVS and POTS and took oral metoprolol was 60.61% and 68.75%, respectively, but in the control group, the cure rate was only 18.75% and 0.00%, respectively. The rate of improvement of children who suffered from VVS and POTS and were treated with oral metoprolol was 15.15% and 15.63%, respectively, and in the control group, it was 6.25% and 40.91%, respectively. The effective rates for cases of VVS and POTS treated with oral metoprolol were higher than those of cases received oral rehydration salt treatment (P < 0.01). The percentage of the change from positive HUT to negative for children with VVS and POTS who took oral metoprolol therapy was 60.61% and 68.75%, respectively, but in control group, it was only 18.75% and 9.09%, respectively (P < 0.01). There was a significant difference in the percentage of the change from positive HUT to negative between children with VVS treated with oral metoprolol and with oral rehydration salt (P < 0.01). Also, a significant difference was found in the percentage of the change from positive HUT to negative between children with POTS treated with oral metoprolol and with oral rehydration salt (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
beta receptor blocker is effective in the treatment of children with VVS or POTS.
Chen
Li
L
Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China.
DU
Jun-bao
JB
Zhang
Qing-you
QY
Wang
Cheng
C
DU
Zhong-dong
ZD
Wang
Hong-wei
HW
Tian
Hong
H
Chen
Jian-jun
JJ
Wang
Yu-li
YL
Hu
Xiu-fen
XF
Li
Wan-zhen
WZ
Han
Ling
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013575:Syncope / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018667:Tilt-Table Test; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists