Existing blood pressure drug may slow rare childhood brain disease: Study

An existing blood pressure medication, guanabenz, may slow the progression of vanishing white matter (VWM), a rare hereditary neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting children between the ages of 1 and 6, according to a study led by Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Amsterdam UMC). The study, published in The Lancet Neurology, found that children treated with guanabenz became dependent on wheelchairs less frequently and less rapidly than those in a comparison group who did not receive the drug.

Additionally, none of the children treated with guanabenz died during the study period, compared with five of the 66 children in the comparison group. However, the researchers emphasized that guanabenz is not a cure for VWM and that its beneficial effects appear to disappear after treatment is discontinued. Further research is underway to investigate the effects of higher doses of guanabenz.

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