Antipyretic drugs for children

doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7557.4

BMJ 2006;333:4-5 (1 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7557.4

Editorial

Antipyretic drugs for children

There's still not enough evidence to support prescribing paracetamoland ibuprofen in combination or alternately

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Fever is common in children¹ and can cause distress, parentalanxiety, and—in some parents—"fever phobia."² Rationalesfor treating childhood fever include relieving distress (allowingthe child to sleep, rest, or feed) and lowering temperature,often in the hope of reducing the risk of febrile convulsions.Non-pharmacological treatments include loosening clothing, reducingthe ambient temperature, and encouraging the child to take fluids.The pharmacological options are paracetamol and ibuprofen, andparents commonly give both drugs to a child with fever.³ Butshould these drugs be used together, or alternately, and forwhich children, and at what dose and frequency? Advice is inconsistent,leading to confusion and frustration among parents, nurses,and doctors.

Both drugs are licensed and widely purchased over the counterin Europe for children: sales in 2004 were £128m for paediatricibuprofen and £277m for paracetamol ( ${euro}$ 186m and ${euro}$ 403m, $233mand $504m; personal communication, Boots Healthcare International).. . . [Full text of this article]

Alastair D Hay, consultant senior lecturer in primary health care

Academic Unit of Primary Health Care, Department of Community Based Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS6 6JL
(alastair.hay@bristol.ac.uk)

Niamh Redmond, trial coordinator

Academic Unit of Primary Health Care, Department of Community Based Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS6 6JL

Margaret Fletcher, reader in children's nursing

Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of the West of England Bristol, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1DD

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Rapid Responses:

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Antipyretic drugs for children: Charlotte J Mendes da Costa
bmj.com, 1 Jul 2006 [Full text]
What is the alternative?: Rafeeq Muhammed
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