Effects of Piracetam on Pediatric Breath-Holding Spells
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v76iSUPPL-9.9957Keywords:
Breath-Holding Spells,Neonates, Paediatric Patients, PiracetamAbstract
Objectives: To determine the frequency of successful response to treatment with Piracetam versus placebo in pediatric patients suffering from breath-holding spells.
Study Design: Quasi-experimental study.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pediatrics, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jan to Dec 2022.
Methodology: This study was conducted on 100 pediatric patients suffering from breath-holding spells, who were aged between 1 and 5 years of both genders. Potential participants with a history of epilepsy, iron deficiency anemia, electrolyte imbalance, hypoglycemia, chronic kidney disease / acute kidney injury, neurodevelopmental disorders, or those who have received previous treatment for breath-holding spells, or those who were lost to follow-up were excluded. Patients were documented for the frequency of attacks per month prior to therapy and divided into two groups: in Group-A, patients received Piracetam at a dose of 20 mg/kg/dose twice daily for three months while in Group-B, patients received a placebo twice daily for three months. All patients
Results: The mean age of our study sample was of 2.78±1.23 years, with a slight male majority of 56(56.0%). The number of breath-holding spells were similar in both arms, (p=0.683), prior to therapy initiation. However, at the last follow-up of six months, the mean number of events per month with Piracetam therapy reduced significantly compared to placebo, (p<0.001). The difference between development of response between the two groups was statistically
Conclusion: Piracetam therapy in pediatric patients with breath-holding spells is a useful treatment modality that results in a significant reduction in the number of
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Copyright (c) 2026 Syed Awais Haider Kazmi, Qudrat Ullah Malik, Bilal Akhlaq, Hafsa Arshad, Farooq Ikram, Syed Hassan Nawaz
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