A dose ranging study of ibuprofen suspension as an antipyretic

Symptomatic fever management in children: A systematic review of national and international guidelines

INTRODUCTION

Divergent attitudes towards fever have led to a high level of inconsistency in approaches to its management. In an attempt to overcome this, clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for the symptomatic management of fever in children have been produced by several healthcare organizations. To date, a comprehensive assessment of the evidence level of the recommendations made in these CPGs has not been carried out.

METHODS

Searches were conducted on Pubmed, google scholar, pediatric society websites and guideline databases to locate CPGs from each country (with date coverage from January 1995 to September 2020). Rather than assessing overall guideline quality, the level of evidence for each recommendation was evaluated according to criteria of the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (OCEBM). A GRADE assessment was undertaken to assess the body of evidence related to a single question: the threshold for initiating antipyresis. Methods and results are reported according to the PRISMA statement.

RESULTS

74 guidelines were retrieved. Recommendations for antipyretic threshold, type and dose; ambient temperature; dress/covering; activity; fluids; nutrition; proctoclysis; external applications; complementary/herbal recommendations; media; and age-related treatment differences all varied widely. OCEBM evidence levels for most recommendations were low (Level 3-4) or indeterminable. The GRADE assessment revealed a very low level of evidence for a threshold for antipyresis.

CONCLUSION

There is no recommendation on which all guidelines agree, and many are inconsistent with the evidence-this is true even for recent guidelines. The threshold question is of fundamental importance and has not yet been answered. Guidelines for the most frequent intervention (antipyresis) remain problematic.

The effects and safety of dexibuprofen compared with ibuprofen in febrile children caused by upper respiratory tract infection

AIM

To evaluate the antipyretic efficacy and tolerability of dexibuprofen compared with ibuprofen in children with fever caused by upper respiratory tract infection (URTI).

METHODS

The study population consisted of children aged 6 months to 14 years. At the time of visit to the hospital, the children had fever; the cause of fever was determined to be URTI by a paediatrician based on history taking and physical examination. The study was a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, controlled parallel group, comparative, Phase 3 clinical trial, conducted at three hospitals. By using a computer-based random assignment program, the subjects were allocated to the following three groups: 5 mg kg(-1) dexibuprofen group, 7 mg kg(-1) dexibuprofen group, and 10 mg kg(-1) ibuprofen group.

RESULTS

In the clinical trial of the antipyretic action of dexibuprofen in patients with fever caused by URTI, there was no statistically significant difference in maximal decrease of temperature and mean time to become apyrexial among the 5 mg kg(-1) dexibuprofen, 7 mg kg(-1) dexibuprofen and 10 mg kg(-1) ibuprofen groups (P > 0.05). There also was no significant difference in adverse drug reaction (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Dexibuprofen is as effective and tolerable as ibuprofen. A dose of 5 mg kg(-1) and 7 mg kg(-1) dexibuprofen in place of 10 mg kg(-1) ibuprofen would be sufficient to control fever caused by URTI in children.

[Ibuprofen in childhood: evidence-based review of efficacy and safety]

Ibuprofen is the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug most prescribed for the treatment of fever and moderate pain in childhood. Its analgesic and antipyretic efficacy is now well documented: at equal doses ibuprofen appears slightly more effective than acetaminophen in the treatment of fever and is equivalent for analgesia. However, adverse effects should be taken into account in the choice between ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Lot of studies (case reports, cohort studies, case-control studies and one multicenter double-blind randomized control trial) have reported ibuprofen adverse effects at therapeutics doses. These data suggest there is an increased risk of invasive group A streptococcal infection after chickenpox and of acute renal failure in case of hypovolemia after a treatment by ibuprofen. Gastroduodenal and hemorrhagic adverse events could also happen, but the causality with ibuprofen is not demonstrated. Therefore, ibuprofen is not recommended for the treatment of fever or moderate pain during chickenpox or during a disease with a risk of dehydration, until other pharmacoepidemiology studies more accurately quantify the risk of adverse events of ibuprofen in children.

Lower degree of fever at the initial febrile convulsion is associated with increased risk of subsequent convulsions

We studied 132 children admitted consecutively with their first febrile convulsion to assess whether the degree of fever at the onset of the convulsion can predict the risk of subsequent convulsions. The children studied were reviewed at least 2 years after the initial febrile convulsion to determine the number of children who had recurrences of febrile convulsions and/or afebrile convulsions. Children with body temperatures below 39 degrees C at the onset of their initial febrile convulsion (Group 1) were two and half times more likely to experience multiple convulsions within the same illness than those with body temperatures above 39 degrees C (Group 2). This occurred when the body temperature rose above that which had triggered the initial febrile convulsion. Children in Group 1 were also over three times more likely to experience recurrent febrile convulsion in subsequent illnesses than those in Group 2. As for subsequent development of afebrile convulsion or epilepsy, although the risk was low, it only occurred in Group 1. It is suggested that the known association between multiple convulsions, recurrent febrile convulsions and epilepsy may be due to the single predisposing factor of a low degree of fever at the onset of febrile convulsion. Each child with febrile convulsion may have his own threshold for eliciting a convulsion with fever; the lower this threshold is, the more likely are subsequent convulsions.

Comparing efficacy and tolerability of ibuprofen and paracetamol in fever

The purpose of this study was to compare antipyretic activity and evaluate tolerability of ibuprofen and paracetamol suspension in the treatment of febrile children. It was designed as a double blind, parallel group, multiple dose study comparing ibuprofen (20 mg/kg/24 hours) with paracetamol (50 mg/kg/24 hours) given at six hourly intervals for a maximum of 12 doses. Children on paediatric wards between the ages of 0.2 and 12 years, with fever as defined by an axillary temperature > or = 37.5 degrees C, were included. The main outcome measures were: change in axillary temperature; palatability of medication; changes in irritability and clinical condition; overall efficacy at the end of treatment; and number and nature of adverse events. The mean temperature change from baseline at four hours was -1.8 degrees C and -1.6 degrees C in ibuprofen and paracetamol groups respectively. In both groups: median palatability score was 'no reaction'; median irritability score at end point was 'not irritable'; median score for change in clinical condition was 'improved'; and median score for overall efficacy was 'good effect'. The proportion of patients experiencing adverse events was similar in both groups, the majority of events having doubtful or no relationship to therapy and being mild in severity. In conclusion, ibuprofen suspension was as effective and well tolerated as paracetamol in treatment of fever in young children.

Effect of age on ibuprofen pharmacokinetics and antipyretic response

The effect of age on ibuprofen pharmacokinetics and antipyretic effect was studied in 49 infants and children aged 3 months to 10.4 years. The relationship of plasma concentration to antipyretic effect was examined in 38 of the children by using an iterative least squares technique that allows estimation of drug concentration with time in a theoretical effect compartment and rate constant for elimination of drug from the effect compartment. There was a delay of 1 to 3 hours between peak ibuprofen plasma concentration and peak temperature decrement. The mean elimination rate constant from the effect compartment was 0.6 hour-1, corresponding to a half-life of drug in the effect compartment of 1.1 hours. The mean slope of the effect compartment concentration versus temperature regression line was -0.242 degrees C/mg per liter. Age did not significantly influence the rate of absorption of ibuprofen, its plasma concentration, its rate of elimination, or the time course of ibuprofen concentration in the effect compartment. However, in younger children the onset of antipyresis was earlier, maximum antipyretic effect was greater, and the area under the curve of the percentage of change in temperature from baseline versus time was greater than in older children. We conclude that the greater relative body surface area in younger children may allow more efficient dissipation of heat in response to antipyretic-induced lowering of the temperature "set point" in the hypothalamus.