Int J Psychosom 34(2): 3-7 (1987)
Reduction of susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections in Down syndrome children following treatment with GABAergic drugs: Report of 70 cases
Cocchi, R
Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Primary Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84113
Seventy Down syndrome children (36 F + 34 M; aged five and one-half to twelve and one-half; chromosomal anomalie distribution: 65 pure trisomy 21 = 92.9%, 3 translocations = 4.3%, 2 mosaicisms = 2.8%) presented at their 1st consultation with a susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections. Among other drugs used the individually adjusted pharmacotherapeutic regimen always included l- glutamine, pyridoxine and a low-dose benzodiazepine. After six months of therapy, 60 of the children had their upper respiratory tract infection susceptibility either eliminated or reduced substantially (p < .001), 9 Ss showed no change and 1 S regressed. Among 60 Ss improved, 31 had upper respiratory tract infection susceptibility completely disappear.
Int J Psychosom 32(2): 12-6 (1985)
Height Increase in Children with Down Syndrome following Treatment with Psycho-pharmacotherapeutic Agents
Cocchi, R
Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Primary Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84113
As a result of a preliminary study showing the effectiveness of psycho-pharmacotherapeutic agents on treating Down syndrome children, the present study was undertaken. The experimental subjects (Ss) were 40 Down syndrome children between the ages of one year, six months and thirteen years, two months, who were treated for at least six months with an individually adjusted psycho-pharmacotherapeutic regimen consisting of the drugs l-glutamine, pyridoxine, diazepam and others, which act primarily on GABAergic mechanisms. The control subjects were 24 Down syndrome children between the ages of one year, eight months and eleven years, two months. The height of the control Ss was taken at the initial consultation and was compared to that of normal Ss [as reported in growth charts for Italian Ss]. The eight of the experimental Ss was taken at the last consultation and compared to that of normal Ss. The results showed that: (1) the untreated control group was shorter on the average from normals by about 24.3 cm (9.7 in.) and (2) the treated experimental group was close to the matched normals but was still shorter by about 8.6 cm (3.5 in.). It appears that the psychopharmacotherapeutic agents used with the experimental Ss induced a GABAergic state that resulted in increased release of growth hormone and subsequent increased height.