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Abstract #26699 Published in IGR 12-3
The effect of oral acetazolamide on growth in children
Sharan S; Dupuis A; Hebert D; Levin AVJournal of AAPOS 2009; 13: 28
Introduction: Oral acetazolamide is a potent medical treatment for pediatric glaucoma but ophthalmologists may have concerns that it can retard growth and weight gain in children and chose surgical management instead. Purpose: To study the effect of oral acetazolamide on growth in children. Methods: Retrospective chart review of 22 well children with glaucoma on oral acetazolamide for (greater-than or equal to) 3 months. Abnormal weight gain was determined using downward crossing of 2 percentile lines on growth charts and change in z-score for weight with the use of a hierarchical linear model. Results: One patient with SturgeWeber syndrome and growth failure was excluded when diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency. Two patients crossed 2 lines downward. Both showed metabolic acidosis. The other 20 tracked steadily on growth curves but the trend reversed after the medication was discontinued. Eleven patients (11/22, 50%) experienced a decline in z-score for weight over the follow-up period, and the remainder experienced an increase, for an overall estimate of slope in this sample of 0.01, which was not significant (p = 0.8). Discussion: Oral acetazolamide may cause poor weight gain in a small subset of the children on treatment. Metabolic acidosis may be the mediating factor for growth failure. Conclusions: Acetazolamide can be used safely in most cases of pediatric glaucoma. Growth parameters should be followed. Growth hormone deficiency should be considered in Sturge Weber syndrome.
S. Sharan.
Classification:
11.5.1 Systemic (Part of: 11 Medical treatment > 11.5 Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors)
9.1.2 Juvenile glaucoma (Part of: 9 Clinical forms of glaucomas > 9.1 Developmental glaucomas)
