Executive Summary

Alternating acetaminophen (12.5 mg/kg) and ibuprofen (5 mg/kg) in young children is more effective for reducing fever than mono-therapy, a randomized, parallel-group trial in the February Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine finds. The study was conducted in 464 children aged 6-36 months, with a follow-up period of 10 days. Children who received alternating doses every four hours for three days also received a lower mean number of doses per child in days 1-3, required 22.6% fewer doses from day 1-2 and had fewer fever recurrences on days five and ten, Michael Sarrell, MD, et al., Tel Aviv University, report. Difference in fever reduction between acetaminophen and ibuprofen groups was not statistically significant. Participants "may have been more seriously ill than most of the children who receive over-the-counter antipyretics" since they were recruited at presentation for treatment, the authors note...