Effect of Caffeine and Aminophylline on Apnea of Prematurity

The most common type of apnea among premature newborns is idiopathic apnea of prematurity. Recurrent apnea can lead to hypoxemia and central nervous system damage. Although caffeine and theophylline are the most commonly prescribed drugs in this field, there is disagreement about which medicine is preferred. The purpose of this study was to compare the therapeutic effect and side effects of caffeine and aminophylline in the treatment of idiopathic apnea of prematurity.
This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 67 premature neonates with the definite diagnosis of idiopathic apnea of prematurity. In this regard, subjects were divided into two groups, namely aminophylline recipient group (n=31) and caffeine recipient group (n=36). The two groups were compared regarding the frequency of recurrent apnea and side effects of drugs.
Regarding gender distribution, 15 (48.4%) patients in the aminophylline recipient group, and subjects in the 20 (55.6%) caffeine recipient group were male. After the treatment, apnea recurred only in one case (0.1%) of aminophylline recipient group. Moreover, 7 patients (58.3%) in the aminophylline recipient group and 5 cases (41%) in the caffeine recipient group suffered from gastrointestinal side effects (P=0.3).
The obtained results of the present study revealed that there was no significant difference between the two groups.